Our Secret
by Bonnie-writes
Summary: Ichigo was the cool, rich popular guy who didn't care about many things until a petite girl with a dark past arrives into his life and turns it upside down. His feelings grow for her, but is the feeling mutual? After a drunken incident at a party the two make a mistake that they try to cover up and a secret between them is born.
1. Chapter 1- Where we are now

**A/N: I've had the idea for this story for a while, but I have no idea where it's going.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach *sigh***

In the dimness of the hospital room, just full of nurses and darkness, a petite, raven-haired teen lays on her hospital bed observing the movements around her. Still disoriented, it takes a moment for her to focus on the figure in front of her. She could never miss that blur of orange, except this time he was not alone. "Take him out of the room…please." Rukia's voice was barely above a hoarse whisper as she turned her face away from the carrot top next to her. She just couldn't stand to look in his direction…not now.

"You don't even want to hold him?" Ichigo was referring to the fussing bundle in his arms. "Or look at him, Rukia?" He was trying his best to calm the stirring creature, cooing and swaying in place, and was eventually able to get into a soothing rhythm.

Tears began to roll down her cheeks, she didn't want to explain it, her heart was breaking enough as it was. "I don't, so take him out, please." Ichigo nodded the silver-haired nurse over and handed her the now-calm newborn. He then walked over to the raven-haired girl lying in the bed. She was pale and facing away from him with her eyes shut, she looked so weak and fragile, she _was _weak and fragile. He hesitantly brushed her stray bangs from sweaty face, getting a better view of her face, she looked pained. "How are you feeling?" He asked in a concerned tone, obviously knowing the answer after the ordeal she had just been through.

Rukia was slowly controlling her breathing again, finally turning to face him. "I'm fine." She moved her hand up to whack his appendage off of her, but after feeling the warmth radiating from it, she ended up grabbing his hand, intertwining her small fingers with his larger ones. "I'm just really…really tired."

"You did great, midget. So just rest up, I'll make sure to tell the nurses not to bother you for a while, 'kay?" He was going to walk away because he didn't want to bother her anymore, but the petite girl's grip tightened on his hand. "What's wro-." Before he was able to finish his thought, Rukia spoke up.

"It's going to rain." She explained in a breathless whisper. Ichigo could've sworn that she started to shiver again. He gently eased out of her grasp and walked over to the window where the white curtains were slightly askew. It was a little over one in the morning. 'It won't just randomly start raining.' He thought to himself as he stared up into the clear dark sky, but ate his words when soon after the clouds infested it and it began to drizzle.

"I'll be damned." He whispered and closed the half-open curtains shut. "How DO you do that?" He asked in awe as he turned to face her.

"It's my sixth sense, remember?" She closed her eyes again, voice beginning to tremble. In the two years he'd known Rukia, she had never been wrong with her rain prediction. It was almost…scary.

"Do you want me to tell Ryuken to move you to a lower floor?" He asked, knowing how troubled she became when altitude was involved during the rain. An image of a smiling raven-haired woman suddenly disappearing from atop of her balcony rail, leaving behind only a rain-filled, thundering background flashed through Rukia's mind.

"Can you please…just stay with me?" She opened her eyes, amethyst orbs glistened in the dim room.

Ichigo walked over to her calmly as to not augment her stress. The petite girl became increasingly anxious when it rained. Rukia scooted over her tired body and Ichigo adjusted himself on the small twin-sized bed. The petite girl scooted over to Ichigo and clasped onto the front of his shirt, she wanted to feel his warmth, she felt so cold inside.

He could hear her quiet sobs and slowly wrapped his arms around her feeble body. Everything was his fault; all of the suffering she had gone through for the past nine months was because of him and he was going to spend his whole life atoning for his mistake. He had unconsciously started to rub her back and sooth her with phrases like 'it's okay,' 'it's alright,' and 'it'll be over before you know it', a habit he'd formed over the past few months.

"Everything's fine Rukia. Nel's going to be arriving as soon as she wakes up and after Ryuken gives you the okay, you'll be on the first plane back home. The specialist for your sister's case is already secured in your town and she's going to have regular checkups to examine your post-natal condition. There's going to be a safety deposit box in your bank and inside will be enough money to last you the next eighteen years. There's also gonna be a key inside. It's to a nice house in the countryside an hour away from Tokyo in case you wanna move from that cruddy apartment you're in, if you don't want to then just sell the place and buy one somewhere close to where you decide to go to university. The doctor already said she'll move to wherever your sister goes." Ichigo was just repeating all of the preparations he'd been making for the past two months. It had taken a lot of work, owed favors, and especially money for all of this to come together, but for Rukia he would do so much, so much more.

"Ichigo that's too much!" She claimed. "I'm sure my sister and I can work everything out once I get back." Rukia argued as she wiped her tears with her hands.

"Knowing you, I know you'll make it out just fine, but this is just to make things easier; so you don't stress so much over the small stuff." Ichigo explained in calm, even tone. "Focus on your education and become that badass lawyer you've always wanted to be, okay, midget?" He rested his cheek on her head. "Just think of me as a silent sponsor or something, supporting your dream. But after today, you can go back to your normal life and I'll be out of it forever." He shut his eyes and continued caressing her back.

"It'll finally be over." Rukia breathed a sigh of relief. She was nervous to finally see her sister again, see all the friends she'd left behind, and most importantly, see her boyfriend.

"Yep." Ichigo strained. "It'll finally be over." There was a stinging in his eyes, but still, some tears managed to slip. "It'll finally be over."

**A/N- I know it's a bit short, but it's just the prologue. I hope it peaks someone's interest! Bye for now :D**

**-Bonnie**


	2. Chapter 2- Where we started out

**A/N: I'm glad people are actually liking my crazy brainchild!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach which is actually a good thing because then you'd end up with weird stories like this one.**

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_A five-year-old girl was running out of her bedroom as soon as she heard the thunder strike, raven hair pulled into two braids with rebellious bangs bouncing over her face; oh how she adored the rain! The puddles underneath her feet, the water cleansing her worries, the rhythmic pitter-patter as the droplets hit the ground. _

_She just wanted to be outside, even if it was for a little while and roll around in the mud under the tree by their apartment building. She was looking for her mom all around, but she was nowhere to be found. There are only so many places she could be hiding in a two-bedroom apartment. The little girl ran towards the living room and found the balcony door open. Her face brightened up at the solving of her little mystery. She skipped all the way until she was grabbing the edge of the frame, but when she saw what was in front of her, all the life was drained from her face. _

_Her mother was in her flowy white nightgown, her favorite, and standing on the rail which overlooked their tenth floor apartment. Her raven locks and outfit completely soaked and her eyes were red, a stark contrast to her pale skin, but she still had a beautiful smile on her face. The girl wanted to walk towards her, but her legs wouldn't oblige. She was stilled but her heart was racing. _

"_Mommy?" She whispered over the worsening weather. Her mother just kept giving her the lovely visage she always had on. _

"_Mommy?!" She yelled this times, clutching on to the door frame as if she was the one hanging over the edge, her small knuckles whitening from the pressure. _

_Her mother finally spoke, in the sweet voice she used to cover up the sadness she felt inside. "Rukia, go inside and call daddy, okay?"_

_Rukia was still unmoving. "M-mommy!" She yelled, her voice shaking as the tears and mucus ran down her face._

_Her mother looked up at her one last time and whispered 'I love you' before jumping off and out of Rukia's line of vision. Rukia sprinted for the rail, her vision blurred by her own tear and the harsh rain. When she looked down, what she saw was-_

*BZZZZZZZZ*

Rukia jumped up from her bed in a startle. Her phone had awoken her from her nightmare, the same nightmare that's haunted her for the last ten years of her life, the memory of the day she lost her mother. The petite girl shook the bad thought out of her mind as she answered her phone.

"Good morning Ruru!" Came the unnaturally chipper voice of her older sister, Hisana. She gave a drawn-out groan. How her sister could be so hyper all of the time was a mystery to her.

"Why are you so chipper? It's like seven o'clock, Hisana." Rukia was not a morning person, the polar opposite of the person she was on the phone with.

"I just wanted to wish you a happy first day of school. Are you excited?!" She practically squealed. "To be young and carefree. Those were some good memories." The older sister spoke in a nostalgic tone; she had a perfect childhood with a happy family and a mountain of friends. Rukia could not relate to this feeling. Kurosawa Rukia was born into a broken family; her parents divorced when she was four and now both of them were dead. She had no friends to speak of, she recently moved to a new town to go to high school, so she didn't even have her only support system, her sister and her boyfriend.

"Ruru?" Her sister's voice broke her from her daze.

"Yea?" Rukia asked simply.

"I really hope you have a good school year. Try your hardest and live life to the fullest! I love you, Rukia." Hisana almost seemed to be begging to her sister. She knew all of the misfortunes Rukia's had in her young life, but at the same time, she didn't know anything.

"I will, Hisa. Don't worry."

"I'll be in the office all day so call me when you get out of class and tell me all about the new friends you've made okay?" She gave a ghost of a smile at her sister's unmatched optimism, but spoke in her usual tone

"Of course. I'll even send you a picture of each and every one of them." Rukia spat out sarcastically.

"It's a deal!" Hisana cheered. "I'll talk to you later; I have to do some final touches on my presentation. Love you! And don't forget the pictures!"

"I love you too." She whispered and hung up her phone tossing it back on her bed. Whenever she talks to her sister in the morning, the grogginess she feels always dissipates because of her sister's peppy personality, even if she constantly complained about them on a daily basis. She got up to get dressed and ready for the first day of her new school. She even had to give a speech.

"Fuuuuuuck." She cursed as she fell onto her bed. She'd been able to make herself forget about that, but now that the day was here, it was all very real. She had nothing prepared, but then again, she was kinda hoping she would be able to talk her way out of it, and the moment of truth would be today. She quickly hopped into her closet and dressed herself.

She actually liked the uniform. It was a long dark blue skirt, a white blouse, black cardigan, and a dark blue ribbon bow. Rukia didn't find it necessary to adjust the hem of her skirt like most girls did, she loved the modest length and the loose fit of her blouse and cardigan; she detested clothes that clung to her body because it only accentuated the curves she _didn't have._

She looked at herself in the mirror and felt content with the way she looked, her hair was just over her shoulders and fanned out, that skewed bang still placed in between her eyes, after all of these years it still wouldn't be tamed. Rukia didn't wear make-up, she hated the icky feeling it created on her skin, so she was all natural. She had a quick breakfast of her favorite honeycomb cereal and returned to her room to retrieve her things.

She grabbed her school bag, her headphones, and finally her phone. It had three missed calls and a one new message.

-Hey babe. I tried calling you, but I guess you were busy… just wanted to wish you luck on your first day of school and I want you to kick ass on that speech! I love you -

The message was sent half an hour ago. Rukia just sighed and began texting.

-Hey Renji. Sorry I was in just getting ready. Good luck to you too. I'll talk to you later.-

She plugged in her headphones, put her phone into her pocket, and ran out the door. She lived on the second floor of a nice apartment, courtesy of Kurosawa Hisana. She knew of Rukia's dislike of heights and has accommodated her since the death of her father, when she took legal guardianship. She heard her phone beep and checked another message.

-I'll be waiting for your call, babe. I love you! -

Rukia grimaced. In the three years that Rukia and Renji had been together, she had never been able to say the magic phrase 'I love you.' She cared about him, but she wasn't sure if she loved him, if she was in love with him. She didn't want to break up with him, she couldn't! Her life's always been one major change after another and with Renji she had a sense of consistency and that's something she really appreciated. He never pressured her into anything and was very chill about their relationship, but he loved her and she was all he needed. That's what he tells her all of the time anyways and she chose to believe it. It kept the guilt she felt over him at bay.

As she turned the corner, she saw a bunch of other kids piling into the school building. Some were loud and she already hated the idea of having to go to school with them. But she sucked it up, whispering 'only three more years,' and continued walking. She was humming "Smile Like You Mean It" by The Killers and found her way into her classroom taking the seat in the back by the door, the most inconspicuous spot she knew of. There were already a few students chattering, apparently they already knew each other. She just kept her headphones in and pulled out a book to read.

She was enjoying "No One Here Gets Out Alive" a biography about one of her favorite singers of all time, Jim Morrison. She'd been practicing her English since she was young so she was fluent in the language and was able to read the original version. The book was full of sex, drugs, and rock n' roll and Rukia loved every word of it. She abruptly stopped reading when she felt a hand tapping her shoulder. She pulled out her ear buds, but didn't bother to look at the person.

"Yes?" She asked curtly. She was just getting to a good part when Morrison singlehandedly started a riot while on stage in Singer Bowl, New York and didn't enjoy being interrupted.

"I just wanted to check and see if you're Kurosawa Rukia." She finally looked up at the person in front of her since the person seemed to know his name, he was a tall man with pale skin, luscious blond hair set in waves, and the face that just told you he was an artist. My name is Ōtoribashi Rōjūrō, I'm your home room teacher, but you may call me Rose."

"Alright Rose-Sensei. Do you need something of me?" She looked up and spoke in a sickening sweet voice since she was in fact talking to an adult and not just some pushy kid.

"Yes." He gave a simple smile at her change of demeanor. "I need you to head on down to the gym already to prepare for your speech. You received the highest score on the entrance exam for all of the first years, a perfect 100%. Congratulations." He gave her a warm smile, slight pat on the back and Rukia smiled at the praise.

'Your time to shine, Kurosawa.' The petite girl gave herself a bit of a pep talk. "Actually, Rose-Sensei…" Rukia began, biting her bottom lip as if contemplating something. "I _can't_ give a speech today at the opening ceremony. You see…" She motioned her index finger, signaling for her teacher to move closer. He did so and she went on to whisper, "I have a fear of public speaking."

Rose gave a small chuckle to it. 'What was so damn funny?' "Oh this speech is nothing to worry about. You just give a small introduction and wish everyone a good year. Short, sweet, and to the point. Come now, Kurosawa-san." He turned around and walked out the door, not bothering to turn back.

'Well shit, that didn't work at all.' Rukia stuffed her book away, stuck her ear buds back in, and rushed after Rose-Sensei who was already out of the building. She was able to catch up to him just as he was entering the gym. She lowered the volume to hear her teacher's further instructions.

"Just go in behind those curtains and you'll meet the other two speakers, the top students for the second and third years." And with that, Rose gave the petite girl a little nudge in the right direction and walked back to his classroom.

In the back of the stage there was a guy, who had her back to her, with bright orange hair arguing with a very pretty girl whose teal hair was just as loud.

'I bet they're arguing about whose hair is more ostentatious.' Rukia snickered at her own comment, but quickly quieted down as to properly eavesdrop on the conversation.

"Look I already told you I'm not giving that damn speech!" The carrot top ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

"You're doing it and that's final, Ichigo!" The teal-haired beauty argued. "If you didn't want to deal with this responsibility, then you should've done worse on the exams!"

"Maybe if they weren't so easy, it wouldn't be a problem. I mean, I don't try on them at all! And this whole class president thing ain't workin' for me either. I don't want to have these types of fucking responsibilities in high school. Give the title back to Shinji. He was a great prez." This title was the last thing he wanted. Ichigo hated anything that required him to take responsibility for other people.

"You know that Hiyori almost broke up with him last year because he took the title of president last year. Look, just stop being an asshole and do your fucking job. It's a fucking two minute speech. There's even a freshman who's going to do it and you don't hear her complaining!" Ichigo was getting on her last nerve, but she still tried keeping composure.

"She's not even here, Nel! For all you know, she won't even show up to give her speech!" The guy argued as he started pacing around the room.

"You think she'll pull a Kurosaki?" She raised an articulate eyebrow.

"That is not a thing, stop making that a thing. So I ran away from my speech last year, you did a good job at covering that up. Just do it again this year."

"Listen here, bastard!" Nel's expression did a 180, she was no longer calm, she was angry and it was directed at the guy in front of her. "You're going to stop being a dick and have me arguing here with you, you little bitch." She picked off something off of the ground and threw it on him. "Put this goddamn tie on, stop being such a pussy, and give your fucking two minute speech." She whisper screeched. "You fucking bastard perverted asshole virgin!"

Rukia started to snicker but kept it under control. The carrot top charged towards the girl named 'Nel'.

"Don't fucking say that out loud." He seethed.

"What? That you're still a little virgin who's afraid of a girl even touching him." She smirked at him in victory.

"Shut up or your brothers are going to find out which one of us isn't a virgin." Nel gasped.

"You wouldn't dare." She glared.

"Try me." He gave a smug look which quickly disappeared when he heard giggling coming from behind him. "Who's there?!" He turned around. A petite girl popped out from behind the curtain.

Ichigo's eyes widened at the sight in front of him. She was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. Her contrasting sharp eyes and pale skin. She was petite, but her laughter was strong. Which reminded him, she was laughing at them. He placed his usual scowl on and lurked closer to the petite girl. He towered over her, but she didn't seem to intimidate so easily.

"What are you laughing at?" He practically growled.

"Just an embarrassed virgin." She smirked and heard the girl squeak from behind the carrot top, pushing him to the side.

"You must be Kurosawa Rukia!" She cheered as she grabbed the petite girl's hands. "I can tell we're gonna be good friends already."

'Doubt it.' Rukia thought, but gave a weak smile anyways. "That's me-representative for the first years."

"My name is Tu Odelschwank Nelliel but please call me Nel. And everyone's favorite virgin, Kurosaki Ichigo." She pointed at the tall man fiddling with his tie. He dropped it once again and walked over to the two girls. "Stop saying that, Nel. I swear I'm going to tell your dad too."

Nel's face turned completely red and muttered something like 'oversensitive little virgin' before looking back to the petite girl, saying she was going to do some final touches out front in the tech box. Rukia gave out a sigh and her shoulders slumped a little once the teal-haired beauty was out of sight, she was a very strong character.

"She's a little intense, isn't she?" The guy named Ichigo gave a small, inviting chuckle and picked up his tie again. Rukia noticed that he had a pretty smile. It really lightened up his face as well as the mood. She just nodded her head. She didn't really understand why he was trying to talk to her, she made a mean comment about him and that's usually the cue where people leave her and never talk to her again, but he just kept at it.

"She gets me so frustrated, you know? She's like a really messed up big sister." He started adjusting his tie, but it wasn't working. "I fucking hate ties." He gave out an exasperated groan.

Rukia finally found her voice to speak up to the guy. "I heard ties weren't mandatory for guys."

"They're not, but Nel said I have to wear it for that damn speech. Then I'm going to set it on fire." Rukia gave a small chuckle and approached the teen.

"May I?" She offered her hand to get the tie.

"If you know how, please be my guest." He handed her the tie. Rukia slipped the silk fabric in between her fingers. It brought back so many memories. She got on her tiptoes and began quickly adjusting the tie. She gave it one last tug and gave one smooth out on his shoulders.

She gave a humorless giggle and backed away. "I'm sorry, that's become a bit of a habit." The carrot top looked down at the tie and was quite impressed by its intricacy. "Where did you learn to do this? I get frustrated by a simple tieknot."

Rukia fiddled with the hem of her cardigan. "I used to do it all the time for my dad. I'd run to his room right before I went to school and found him struggling with the thing."  
"Did he finally learn how to tie his own-."

"My dad's dead. He died of a heart attack three years ago." She looked down because the subject of her dad was always a touchy one.

"My mom's been dead since I was nine." Ichigo stated abruptly. Violet eyes shot up and stared up at amber eyes. "I'm so sorry."

"I should've said that first. Maybe we should start a dead parents club or something." Ichigo tried to be funny and it kind of worked.

"Maybe you should start a virgin club." Rukia tried lightening the mood as well, but apparently _this _was a REALLY touchy subject.

Why does everyone always have to make it out like it's such a bad thing?" Ichigo started blushing and stuttering. "I'm a v-vir-."

"Virgin." Rukia helped him out; it took all of her strength not to just burst out laughing. He couldn't even say the word!

He pointed at her. "I'm THAT by choice."

Rukia was having too much fun with his embarrassment and decided to push it more. "So that whole thing Nelliel said about you being afraid of a girl's touch was just a myth?" Rukia smirked.

"Of course it is! I let you touch me right when you helped me with my tie? And I didn't cower away, did I?" His face was completely red because this was a completely absurd conversation to be having with a girl he just met.

"Well that was different. I mean what if I…" Rukia opened her wide violet eyes and bit down on a half of her bottom lip. She pushed him down into one of the chairs, placing both hands over his arms on either handrail. "Wanted to touch you now?" Her voice was smooth and sultry with every syllable rolling off of her small red tongue. The carrot top could feel himself sweating now. She was so close- he could smell her sweet scent of vanilla and something else- honeycomb cereal?

"What would you do now, Senpai?" She gave him a look that almost dared him to do something and Kurosaki Ichigo was never one to back down from a challenge.

"You shouldn't play with fire, midget." He whispered as he freed his arms, distracting her with a fiery gaze that made Rukia feel like he was burning a hole into her soul. "Because you might get burned."

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**A/N: Oooh cliffy o_o**

**I didn't mean to end this chapter on a cliffhanger, but if I kept going it would have been uber long, so yea, tell me what ya think, maybe? :D**

**-Bonnie**


	3. Chapter 3- Our public display

**A/N: I'm glad my story's getting positive feedback! I apologize to the people who are having a bit of confusion, but it should make more sense when you're able to piece together the story as it goes on...I hope.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach and I'm pretty sure I never will.**

Ichigo snaked one arm around the small of her back while the other grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him. She gave a light gasp as their mouths pressed suddenly into a kiss. It started off simple enough, a meshing of four lips in a clumsy array of sudden lust. But she was now sitting with her knees on his lap and her hands through his surprisingly soft orange hair. He kept his hand around her wrist and moved the other up to the back of her neck; her skin was so smooth, he felt as though he touching silk. He lightly pulled Rukia's bottom lip, the one she used to tease him, to teach her a lesson. Rukia thought he tasted like peanut butter and it was almost intoxicating to the petite girl. She pressed herself against him just to get better access into his mouth. Right as he felt her soft tongue begin to slip in between his lips, he heard a flutter and numerous gasps.

The two quickly ended their bout of passion to locate the source of the noise and were faced with an auditorium full of fellow students and faculty of Pendulum High staring at them in awe. The curtains had been moved without their knowledge from the tech room and now reality was starting to sink in. Rukia jumped from her seat, escaped from Ichigo's hold, bowed to the crowd in apology, ran down the stage, and through the double doors, keeping her head down the whole time. There were a few cheers through the crowd along with unnecessary comments, followed with shushing from the faculty.

Ichigo shot up from his seat, wanting to go after Rukia, but was stopped by two strong hands.

"Ah-ah-ah, Kurosaki-san. We can't all be ditching school." It was the familiar voice of Urahara Kisuke, the school's principal. His striped bucket hat was covering his eyes, but Ichigo could've sworn he saw a lively gleam in them.

"Let me go, Urahara. I need to catch up to her." His face was burning red and he felt visibly shaken. Did that really just happen? And in front of a crowd? He needed to apologize for embarrassing Rukia so.

"Just give the speech and then you can go." The blond man enunciated each word and pulled out a fan from his green sleeve.

"Goddammit Urahara, I don't have time for this!" He whispered in an irritated voice, taking hold of the only hand Urahara had on him.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, unless you want me riding your ass for the next two years you will get your butt back onstage and give the fucking speech," came the intimidating voice of the one and only Shihoin Yoruichi. She was a terrifying woman to any normal person but even more so to Ichigo since she was a close friend of his old man.

He gave a frustrated grunt and stomped onto the stage. The crowd was still as loud as before with a couple of audible, 'You go, Ichigo!' 'That was actually pretty hot!' 'Ichi's such a pervert' and his all-time favorite: 'Dickhead finally got some action.' He grimaced because he knew that those comments were coming from none other than his friends and he was going to be teased about this for years to come. He reached the podium and just stared that the overly-energetic crowd. They were still talking! And some girls were giving him these looks that just made him feel so…dirty.

"EVERYONE PIPE DOWN!" Yoruichi's booming voice circulated around the room. She was holding a megaphone, while the man next to her gave a smirk behind his now-open fan. Man, did he love the way his woman worked!

The room quickly went silent. "Thank you, Yoruichi." The carrot top cleared his throat and grabbed the wooden edges of the podium.

"Well everyone, my name is Kurosaki Ichigo and I guess I'm going to be the class president this year for the second years. If you need anything, go find someone else to bother, but don't go to the principal or vice principal either because they'll be just as useless as me." He didn't bother looking over to the couple in question because he already knew their expressions: Yoruichi was silently fuming and Urahara was massaging her with a spirited smile on his face. He nervously rubbed his neck before starting again. "Try your hardest, I guess. Join some clubs and do sports so you have junk to put on transcripts. Nel's gonna come up here and explain this mentoring program so enjoy." The carrot top was about to go off of the stage, but Nel was already next to him, grabbing his arm to make sure he couldn't leave. She gave him a look that ordered him to stay and he had to oblige.

She looked back to the crowd with a warm smile and began. "My name is Tu Odelschwank Nelliel, but I ask that everyone call me Nel. For those who don't know, I am the daughter of Principal Urahara." She gave the blond man a thumbs up which he gladly returned. "So yes, my hair is naturally blonde, but if I kept it that color I would look exactly like my dad and we don't need that, now do we?"

Everyone in the gym began laughing except for Ichigo. He had his arms crossed and told her to 'pick up the pace.'

Nel just grimaced at him and waited for the laughter to die down before continuing. "So last year we started a senpai/kohai program. Second years were assigned first years to show them the ropes and just give them moral support throughout the year. Since it was actually quite successful, we wish to continue it again this year, with the kohai becoming the senpai. My kohai last year was none other than Kurosaki Ichigo since we were both representative. The same will be repeated with…" Nel stopped abruptly, remembering what just transpired. "Ichigo and Kurosawa Rukia." She cleared her throat at the awkward silence. The carrot top's face was frozen in a state of shock. He'd forgotten that he was going to actually have to be around the girl he forced himself on. Nel, unfazed by the person next to her, moved to the end of her explanation. "Everyone else will be meeting their senpai/kohai at a picnic the school is throwing on Saturday. I guess that's all." The representative clapped her hands. "Disperse." Within seconds, everyone was walking back to their respective classes and Nel turned to Ichigo.

"What the hell was that crap?" She smacked the back of his head. Ichigo just turned from lifelong friend, unworried by her actions, and began walking toward the door.

"Hey, don't you dare ignore me, Ichigo." Nel chased after him, reaching him outside of the building.

"I have to find out where Rukia lives and go apologize to her." He scanned the perimeter in hopes that she was waiting for him; she wasn't. Nel was going to say something when a group of third years began pouring out of the double door, giving their underclassman pats on the back and something they called 'reward noogies'. The teal-haired teen grabbed Ichigo's arm and began walking out of school grounds and away from the crowds.

"Oi, where are we going?" He tried getting out of her grasp, but Nel was known for her monster grip, it was like being stuck in a bear trap.

"Where do you think, idiot? To your apartment to discuss strategy." She didn't even look back and continued her maneuvering through the groups of students.

"What strategy do I need to discuss with you?" His scowl looked as though it would never leave his face. He couldn't get Rukia's face out of his mind; she just looked so distraught and exposed, it tugged at his heart.

"We're going to find the best way for you to apologize to Rukia without you messing everything up even more." After the carrot top heard that, he stopped fighting, and allowed himself to be dragged to his home.

'That skittle head is not so a virgin!' Rukia thought; she was fuming! How could she have gone so far with a little tease? But damn, could the guy kiss. Rukia passed a delicate finger over her bottom lip; it felt swollen from where he'd bit it. She felt a shudder go through her body at the memory, but mentally slapped herself as a flash of red passed through her mind's eye. She still had to call Renji, but she decided against doing it at that exact moment because her mind was just somewhere else. She walked as if she was being chased by a fire and made it to her apartment in record time. As soon as she walked in through the door she started stripping off all of her clothes. She felt warm, almost as if she was having a heat stroke. She kept picturing what that hard body that was pressed against her looked like without clothes. By the time she made it to her bead, she was in nothing but her undergarments and a tank top. Her chest was heaving was heaving at the lewd thoughts she was having. She needed a distraction. Anything to keep her mind from wandering even more than it already had. At that moment, her phone rang. She grabbed it to see that it was an unknown number.

"Hello?"

"You've met a man, haven't you?" The other person spoke. Rukia knew that voice well and placed a smirk on her face.

"Why if it isn't mommy dearest. To what do I owe the pleasure of your call? It's not even my birthday."

The other person laughed. "If you want me to call more frequently, why not just say so?"

"And ruin the special days when you actually do call me?" The girl followed with. "What were you babbling about earlier, Sun?"

"I asked if you'd met a man today. You did, didn't you, Rukia?" The raven haired girl imagined that Sung-Sun was covering her smirk from behind her oversized sleeve.

"And what exactly gave you that impression?" Rukia grimaced at the thought of a certain orange-haired teen who she was trying to forget.

"I think we both know, Rukia. He must be the last thing you want to think about after your incident." Rukia's mouth was agape. Sung-Sun's ability always left her speechless.

"Close your mouth, honey, or you'll catch flies." The petite girl moved the phone away from her ear and glared at it. "Did you feel that?" She yelled.

"Did you mean your glower; I've grown immune to it, dear." She gave a slight laugh.

Rukia just placed the phone back to her ear and sighed. "Is there a reason why you called other than to torment me with your weirdness?"

Sung-Sun cleared her throat before speaking again. She sounded uncomfortable. "Yes actually, Rukia. All of your father's assets have been accounted for by his lawyer, so your sister and you will be summoned to the reading of his will."

Rukia's face completely changed and she suddenly became completely serious. It had been three years since her father's sudden heart attack. She wasn't particularly close to the man even after seven years of living together, but he was her father and she loved him.

"When will we have to meet?" Her voice gave away how upset she'd become.

"A month from now. Both you and Hisana will receive all further information by mail. I just thought it best to tell you ahead of time so the news wouldn't come as such a shock." Her voice also lost its mocking tone as she tried to ease Rukia to a calmer state.

"Well thanks for the heads up, I'll make sure to pass it on to Hisana."

"Please do. She hates me enough as it is without her thinking that I' keeping thing from her to the list."

"She does not hate you." Rukia tried arguing, but part of her knew she was just being nice. Sung-Sun and Hisana had bad blood between them since they were put in each other's lives.

There was a chuckle from the other line. "We both know that's not true, she hates me almost as much as she loves you. Anyways, I have to go. I just wanted to tell you about the will."

"Wait, Sun!" Rukia quickly interjected.

"Hmm?"

"Why did you bring up me meeting a guy?" Rukia had almost forgotten to ask, but if she didn't do it now, she wasn't sure when she'd get the chance.

"The boy with hair as loud as your eyes." Sun paused as if contemplating what to say next. "Don't push him away, Rukia. He can be good for you."

"I don't understand what." Rukia felt conflicted. From what happened earlier that day, the petite girl wasn't sure if she wanted to be anywhere near him.

"You will when the time comes. Take care, daughter dearest."

"You too, mommy dearest." She gave a slight smile at their nicknames for each other.

"Oh and look decent, you're going to have company."

Rukia shook her hair in disbelief. "You really need to stop doing that." They exchanged goodbyes and Rukia went into her drawers to dig up a shirt and some shorts.

She waited and waited for what felt like an eternity, in actuality it was only an hour. She was in the middle of making her dinner when there was finally a knock on her door. 'Dammit, Sun.' Rukia mentally cursed her stepmother as she made her way to her door. She wondered who could be at the door, Rukia knew no one in this town, and the only person who had her address was her sister. She opened the door and was wide-eyed at the person in front of her.

"What are you doing here?"

**A/N: "WHAT'S WITH ALL OF THE CLIFFHANGERS?" -what all of the readers are thinking. **

**I'm sorry! But I don't want to put up long chapters, at least not so early on. What'd you guys think of the IchiRuki moment? You like/hate/are indifferent? Let me know! I love reading the reviews :D **

**-Bonnie**

**P.S. I'm sorry if I'm making any spelling or grammar mistakes. I try catching myself, but as I reread the chapters after posting them, I find them. I will never be pleased.**


	4. Chapter 4- We're working it out

**A/N: I swear I planned to have this typed out by Saturday, but one thing led to another, and I was distracted all weekend. Oopsies. Anyways, you guys wanted a long chapter and I aim to please, so here you go! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach because I'm not as cool as Kubo-Sensei. *sad face***

* * *

The first thing Ichigo did when he and Nel arrived to his apartment was fall back onto his reclining chair. He covered his eyes and his total focus went back to Rukia. Her scent still lingered on his clothes, and he could still feel her petite body against him. Her eyes were burning themselves into his memory and he didn't try to stop them. He wanted to remember those amethyst orbs and the way they looked as he took her in his arms, they were full of lust and Ichigo never felt so hot and bothered. He suddenly felt a shiver as his friend pressed something cold against his face, bringing him back to reality.

"It looked like you could use a drink." Nel's voice was more gentle than it had been all day. The carrot top sat up and his friend handed him an ice-cold glass of water.

"Thanks Nel." He gratefully took it and drank it down in one gulp.

"Do you feel calmer, Ichigo?" She placed a reassuring hand on his arm and cat down on the loveseat next to him.

"Not even close." He gave a humorless laugh. "You should've seen her face. She looked so… mortified, that's what's bothering me the most." He was clutching onto the glass in his hand with such force that Nel was afraid he would break it.

"Well I don't think anyone likes a moment of intimacy to be publicized like that." She took the glass and placed it on the coffee table. "Especially if it was her first kiss." She added afterwards; not such a good idea.

'It couldn't have been her first, right?' The carrot top asked himself, but then the hit him. "What if it was and I just took it from her? Aren't first kisses supposed to be special or something for girls? I might've just scarred her for the rest of her life." He was definitely in 'worst-case scenario' mode.

"Then again, Ichigo, it might not have been her first, so don't stress too much." The teal-haired friend tried reassuring, but Ichigo still looked bothered.

"Even if it wasn't, I shouldn't have kissed her, not like that." He whispered the last part, but Nel was still able to hear.

"Then why did you? Kiss her?"

"I don't know; she was attractive and she was there." The carrot top gave a thoughtless response; which agitated the teal-haired teen.

"That's bullshit, Kurosaki and we both know it." Ichigo looked back at his friend in awe. The only time Nel ever called him by his last name was when she wanted to have a serious talk to get inside his head and know what he was thinking. "There have been so many girls that have shown their interest in you and they were attractive too. Why didn't you ever try anything with any of them?"

Ichigo was silent while considering what to say. Nel took it as him evading the question and continued pestering him. "What made Kurosawa Rukia so different?" Her face was serious and her eyebrows creased as she looked him straight in the eyes.

The badgering finally made Ichigo crack. "I don't know, Nel! I don't know! She just is! There's a fire in her eyes that I've never seen in anyone before. She has personality, which is something every other girl in our school lacks. She would actually be worth a chase and not just another girl throwing herself at me. She's not just attractive, she's…beautiful. 'The most breathtakingly beautiful girl I've ever seen in my entire life.' He added in his mind. "So maybe that's why I did it." He calmed a bit after his rant and continued. "Or maybe it's because in the short amount of time that I talked to her I felt like I've known her all of my life; I felt comfortable enough to stop thinking about every little thing in my life and just act. That's why I did it, Nel!" Ichigo took in a deep breath and fell back onto his chair, rubbing his eyes in irritation.

Nel had a blank expression as she absorbed all of the information that was thrown at her. "I- just- wow, Ichigo. This one girl had that big of an impression on you?"

"Yes! And I keep trying to think that maybe there's another reason, but every time I close my eyes, I recall the way she stared at me before we kissed and I don't regret it. But then there are all of these other factors that just make me second-guess myself."

Nel patted his arm before standing up. "I'll find her address so you can go talk to her."

"And what exactly do I say?" He sounded desperate; hell, he was desperate.

The girl thought for a second before speaking. "Apologize honestly but don't be so forward and go from there." Nel ruffled his hair before walking to the door and opening it. "If it's you, I'm sure she'll be more than willing to forgive and start over. Who knows, maybe you'll even become good friends." She gave a smile and walked out of his apartment.

"Sure, we'll become best friends." Ichigo told himself with as much sarcasm as he could muster up for the situation. He fell back on his chair, and when he looked down he realized that he was still wearing that damn tie. He'd sworn that he would burn it, but looking at it now, it was just too well tied to just destroy. He pulled on one of its ends to loosen it and slipped it over his head. He took it to his room and hung it on the headboard and started changing into some comfortable clothes, a simple t-shirt and some sweatpants. His room suddenly filled with _Weekend Wars _by MGMT. When he went over to pick up his phone, he noticed that there was a new message.

-I got her address and you'll never guess where she lives. She's one floor under you: A02.-

Without even thinking, Ichigo stuffed the phone into his pocket and ran to the stairs and to the second floor of his apartment building. A02 was the first door on the right. Ichigo looked at it as if it was a mixture the gateway to heaven and the pit of hell. His heart was beating rapidly both from the short run and nervousness of actually talking to the object of his sudden confusion. 'Breathe, Kurosaki; breathe.' He repeated to himself as he lifted a fist to knock on the awaiting door. He paused to hear slight movement inside followed by footsteps. The door swung open to reveal a scantily-clad Rukia. Those creamy thin legs ran for miles under her short shorts and that V-neck gave a good view of her modest bust. The carrot top could feel himself drooling as he was mesmerized by Rukia's attire, or lack thereof. It took her voice to break him from his little spell.

"What are you doing here?" Her question came out in shocked tone and he finally noticed the quizzical expression on her face.

"PLEASEDON'TCLOSETHEDOORONME." He spoke quickly, making it hard for the raven-haired girl to understand.

"What?" She slightly tilted her head in confusion.

'Fuck. This is going to be hard when she looks so cute.' Ichigo mentally cursed before clearing his throat and starting again.

"I said 'please don't close the door on me'. I just came here to apologize. For you know…my actions earlier today. I'm so sorry." He bowed his head twice, followed by two more 'I'm sorry' and heard a chuckle coming from in front of him before he could continue with his apology.

'She's laughing! That's gotta be a good sign!' The teen let out a sigh a relief before realization dawned on him. 'She's laughing at me! AGAIN." He was just as confused as Rukia had been moments earlier.

"Why are you laughing at me now?" He questioned.

"It's just that you make it so obvious that you're so inexperienced with women. It's cute." She giggled again but covered it with her hand.

Ichigo's face was surely turning red. He just knew it, but he couldn't walk away, not after she called him…cute! Wait. Was that really a bad thing?

"What do you mean by cute?" He creased his eyebrows as if her answer would dictate the path their relationship would take…which it kind of did.

"Well guys are usually all 'I bet you liked that lovin' I gave you earlier-.'" She stuck out her chest and imitated a low, manly voice. "-or something. You know, they're cocky bastards, but you feel honest remorse about it, and I don't think I can be mad at you since I kind of pushed you into a corner." She explained to the best of her abilities. After he came all of the way to her home to give his apology, Rukia realized that Sun might be right about Kurosaki Ichigo. He seemed like an earnest fellow who didn't just go around lip-locking with every girl he met and he was genuinely upset for kissing her. Rukia couldn't really do much to change the past, so she had to worry about moving forward. Since they were both the class representatives, Rukia knew that made him her senpai for that mentoring program at school, so they would probably have to interact in the future.

Ichigo seemed to be okay with her response and felt a weight lift from his shoulder. "Fuck. I don't think I've ever been that stressed in all of my life."

"Were you really that worried about a little kiss?" The raven-haired girl tried playing it cool to see his response.

'A little kiss she says. That was my first kiss.' Ichigo didn't really understand why her words bothered him, but they did. He shook it off and made up the first excuse to pop into his head. "Since we're going to be each other at school, I thought it would make things awkward. Plus Nel told me that I might've taken your first kiss and that's just not something that's okay in my book." He shook his head to accentuate the seriousness in his voice.

'So the man has honor.' Rukia smirked. "You don't have to worry about that; it definitely wasn't my first kiss. If anything, I should feel guilty because it was yours. It was your first kiss, right?" She again tilted her head, this time faking honest confusion.

'Damn her." The carrot top grimaced. "So what if it was?" His response was rather aggressive.

"No need to get defensive, Berryhead." She leaned against the door frame, feeling more relaxed in her element. "As far as kissers go, you're probably up there, top 3 at least." She gave a wink and Ichigo reacted by turning red-faced. Before he could respond, there was a faint sound of _Under the Gun _by The Killers coming from the petit girl's living room.

She gave one last smile before turning inside. "I have to get that, but I'll see you later."

"Y-yea. I'll see you at school probably." He gave one last bow before running back to the staircase and disappearing behind the door. The smile on Rukia's face quickly vanished as she contemplated if she should come clean with Renji about the kiss. She was too busy wondering who was going to visit to touch on the subject, but now there was no avoiding it.

"Hello?"

"Hey babe! I've been waiting for you to call me, but I got impatient because I've got something to tell you and decided I'd call you myself! How was school?!" His voice was filled with its usual energy.

"It definitely wasn't what I expected." She unconsciously let out a big sigh.

"Oi what's wrong, babe?" His voice sounded genuinely concerned which only fed Rukia's determination.

She took in a deep breath. "Renji, today at school…I kissed a guy."

There was silence coming from the other line.

"Renji, are you still there?"

"I'm here, babe."

"What do you think about what I just told you?" Rukia was feeling anxious by his cold tone.

"What can I say? Old habits die hard with you." He gave a slight chuckle which only created an agitated Rukia. She felt like he was expecting her to do this. "I'm gonna ask you the same thing I asked you all of the other times: did it mean anything?"

"Of course it didn't! It was a misunderstanding that got-."

Before she could finish her argument, the red-head interrupted. "Look, Rukia, you don't have to explain. As long as you say that it didn't mean anything, then I'm fine. I love you and as long as you still want to be with me that's all that matters."

Rukia just shook her head. Why she's lucky enough to have an accepting guy like Renji she'll never understand.

The petite girl felt calmer after she'd told her boyfriend the truth. "Now what was the news you've been dying to tell me?"

"Oh yea! My band got signed to an eighteen month world tour!" He was back to his enthusiastic manner.

"Shit, Renji! That's amazing!" The petite girl was impressed. Her boyfriend had been playing the guitar since he was eight and started his band when he was fourteen with three of his childhood friends and the four were signed by a record company only a year ago.

"I know, right!? I wasn't expecting it at today's meeting, but our first album sold over fifty million fucking copies in the past six months or something, with a butt-load of online downloads. I'm psyched!" The red-head definitely sounded pumped.

"I'm so proud of you! When does it start?"

"Three months from now, right here in Tokyo; and I want you there front and center, babe."

"Of course I'll be there, Renji! This is huge. How're you going to celebrate?"

"Our manager's gonna take us out for this fancy dinner in a few, so I have to get ready."

"Have fun and tell everyone I said congratulations!"

The two bid farewell and Rukia went to the kitchen to finish cooking her meal and ate alone, something she knew she'd have to grow accustomed to since she was living alone. She washed her dishes, spent a couple of hours online after, called her sister, and gave her an update of her first day of school sans talking about the kiss. She moved on to finish the book from earlier that day and ended the day with a new episode of her favorite anime, before going to bed and staying up for another hour feeling anxious about tomorrow. She expected rumors, but to what extent, she still wasn't sure.

'Be positive. Just one friend and it can only go up from there. A friend like that innocent Kurosaki kid can be good for me. Sun said so and she always does what's in my best interest, so I just have to trust her. There was minimal awkwardness when he came over, so there shouldn't be any from now on.' She felt comfortable enough with her assumption that she was able to finally get some rest.

After waking up from her reoccurring nightmare, Rukia got up, was given the same early morning pep talk from her sister, dressed herself, missed calls from Renji, and ate cereal for breakfast. She grabbed all of her necessities, popped her headphones on, and was on her way to school.

Before entering her classroom, she paused the song she was playing to listen through the door. She could hear murmuring, but was able to hear her name a few times. They were followed by some snarky comments of her being easy, a whore, and taking one of the most eligible bachelors in school. 'Are we in a fucking dating show?' Rukia suspected that the girls would talk about her, it was a given, but why did it have to be so early in the morning? She kept her head low as to not catch attention and walked into the classroom. She could've sworn that every pair of female eyes in that room lifted to stare daggers into her; she ignored all of them and again took the seat in the back closest to the other door. Today she decided to read Hamlet. She'd read it before, but then again she'd already finished all of the books she owned. She was saving money for new books, and was rereading her collection until then.

After what felt like an eternity and about twelve more stares, Rose-Sensei finally entered through those doors like an angel from heaven. He gave a sincere good morning and began to speak. "I know that most classes usually have a random drawing for their assigned seating, I prefer to let you all have the freedom of choosing your seats; at least for this semester and we'll go from there." Everyone in the class cheered and even Rukia let out a sigh of relief; it seemed that no one wanted to sit next to her and that was just fine with her. Her first four classes went off without a problem except for the periodic mutterings that she was able to catch and brush off.

When it was time for lunch, she just brought out her bento to eat in the classroom. She kept her headphones in, to have a nice peaceful meal, but her plans were fully uprooted by a carrot top waltzing into her class. All the girls were practically drooling at the sight of him. Even Rukia had to admit that he looked better in his white t-shirt and gray cardigan; he didn't look as trapped and uncomfortable as he had in that dress shirt and tie.

His face visibly brightened up when he saw her, but he kept his scowl in place. He walked over to her while all of the girls just stared at her with envy written all over their faces. "Hey, let's go eat lunch together." He suggested, but didn't even let her get a word in edgewise as he started to close up her bento and placed it into his school bag. "What are you doing, Ichigo?" She angrily whispered.

"I just really want to eat lunch with you, now come on." He grabbed the book off of her desk, gave a 'good choice', and walked out of the door. Rukia reluctantly followed because she figured it would've been worse if she stayed in there with all of those girls looking at her like predators about to attack.

When she stepped outside of the classroom, he was standing by the door.

"Why the hell did you just do that?" She punched his arm causing him to wince in pain. He began to pull her by the arm down the hall, earning the two of them stares by those in the hallway. "Stop! Where exactly are you taking me?" She struggled, but his hand was secured around her.

"I heard what people have been saying about you." She was barely able to hear him, so it took her a while to respond.

"You mean about yesterday? It's no big deal, Ichigo. People are gossips. You shouldn't let-."

"It is a big deal!" He practically screamed as they went up the stairs. "They shouldn't be judging you. Half of those girls have done things that would earn them even worse names, so they shouldn't be saying anything. I shut up most of the ones from my year and if I have to I'll go into your class and shut them up too!" He felt a warm hand over his and quickly stopped his babbling. He turned to look at the petite girl, but she was facing away from him.

"Thanks Ichigo. People don't usually…care about me." She took in a deep breath as if holding back tears. "I've been teased in school before and no one's ever stood up for me." She was touched. In her old school, she was bullied mercilessly by kids, but no one ever saw it fit to step in.

"You don't have to worry about that anymore, midget, because I'll always have your back." He gave a sincere smile and stopped at the door at the end of the stairs. "Where are we going?"

"To have lunch." He opened the door to a bright background. The light momentarily blinded Rukia, but her eyes swiftly adjusted and she saw a group of six people. She quickly recognized Nel and noted there were three other girls around her while three guys were in a semicircle next to them. They all stopped their conversations to look at the couple stepping onto the roof and had smiles on their faces when they recognized the two.

"About time, Ichigo. We've been waiting for the two of you, so we could start eating." Nel was the first one to speak as she took out her bento out of her school bag.

"Yea, yea. Of course you were; that's why Mashiro has Kensei's food all over her face."

"I tried waiting as much as possible, but I was hungry, Ichi!" The lime-green haired girl tried arguing as she shoved another piece of chicken into her mouth.

"All of three minutes. It was a new record." A gray-haired muscle guy retorted as he wiped the food from her face with his thumb.

"Stop being gross with your lovey-dovey scenes, guys. I'm trying to enjoy my food." A blonde girl, as petite as Rukia, made a gagging noise before shoving a bunch of rice into her mouth. A couple of pieces of rice were stuck on her cheek.

"Let me get that for you, my love bucket." A lanky blond guy bent forward from his side of the semicircle to wipe away the excess off of her face and received a punch to the face.

"I can get it myself, baldy; so sit your ass down." She wiped her face with a napkin.

"Chill out, guys. You're going to scare Rukia away." Ichigo stated and was silenced by some stifled laughter. Everyone turned to the girl by his side. She was red-faced and trying to catch her breath. After a few moments she was able to talk normally. "I'm so sorry." She seemed almost surprised at her own actions, but began to feel more at ease when a certain carrot top began laughing next to her. She broke out in laughter and everyone else followed suit. Eventually the dying died down and Rukia bowed her head.

"Hello everyone, my name is Kurosawa Rukia. I'm sorry for interrupting your lunch." Nel jumped up and walked towards her.

"Don't be silly. We all wanted you here!" She grabbed her arm and dragged her to the girl's side of their circle. She went around to giving introductions. The peppy girl with the big appetite is Kuna Mashiro; the violent blonde is Sarugaki Hiyori; and the quiet raven-haired girl with glasses entranced by her manga is Yadomaru Lisa. The muscled teen is Muguruma Kensei, Mashiro's boyfriend; the abused, leggy blond is Hirako Shinji, Hiyori's…boyfriend? And the guy with the spiky black hair and sunglasses is Aikawa Love. She greeted all of them and Ichigo -handed her the bento he was holding for her as well as her book and took a seat next to her.

Lisa took one look at the book and let out a groan. "Oh no, you like Shakespeare too."

Rukia was puzzled by her reaction. "Who else likes Shakespeare?"

"Our berry-boy over there is a Shakespeare buff." Lisa explained.

"He has almost all of the first editions of all of his works." Mashiro added between bites of food.

"It's not even that big of a deal." Said boy spoke in an irritated tone. Everyone just rolled their eyes because they knew that Ichigo has spent most of his life and A LOT of money to get his collection.

This information seemed to excite the newest addition to their group.

"Is that true?" Her violet eyes shined with enthusiasm which left everyone else in awe. She gave him his full attention and grabbed his hands.

"I-y-yea." He stuttered out.

"Can I see them some time?" Her interest caught the carrot top off guard and he could only nod his head. She gave a sincere smile and Ichigo was distracted by it to focus on anything else. That is until Nel cleared her throat and the two remembered they were around a whole lot of people. They turned away from each other, Ichigo was blushing like mad and Rukia just started eating their food.

"So Rukia, where are you from?" Lisa asked, putting down her manga, trying to stop the awkward vibe that surrounded them.

"I was born in Tokyo and lived there for five years before moving to America for seven and moving back to Tokyo three years ago." She said as she ate some of her bread and jam.

"How was it over there? Did you date a bunch of American boys?" Mashiro eagerly awaited her answer.

"Oh no." Rukia dismissively waved her hand. "I was too busy with school, music lessons, and dance lessons. I even spent most of my summers in band camp."

"So you got no action while you were over there?" Lisa looked almost dumbfounded.

"Well I wasn't even a teenager, so no." All of the girls had a look of disappointment on their faces. "Well actually-." They all perked up and gave their full attention, even Ichigo turned a bit to hear the conversation.

"There was this guy; he was three years older than me who went to the same band camp as me every year. He was Japanese student who lived in America too. We grew close over the years we went to visit- I would even say we were friends. We kept in touch during the normal school year through letters and phone calls since we lived on opposite ends of the U.S."

"And then what, and then what?!" Mashiro screeched as she bounced around.

"Well the last summer that we went to band camp, on the last night, we met up at our usual spot by the riverbank and he kissed me." All the girls gave their 'oohs' and 'aws' but Ichigo was wide-eyed.  
"That's so romantic! What happened next?" Mashiro had to be physically contained by Kensei's arms around her so she didn't step on anyone else's meal.

"Well I moved back here after the summer ended and then four months after that, it turns we have a mutual acquaintance and he was back in Japan."

"Holy fuck! What then?!" This time it was Hiyori to make herself vocal; this story even peaked her attention. Ichigo wanted to hear what happened next, but still tried to act uncaring, he failing badly, but still.

"Nothing really, I see him around every once in a while, but that's it." Everyone seemed dissatisfied with the end of the story, but the carrot top let out a sigh of relief. The bell rang after and everyone packed up their empty bento boxes. It seems that the only one who hadn't even touched his food was Ichigo. He shoved all of the food into his mouth and picked up his now-empty box.

Rukia was already near the door when he caught up to her. "Let me walk you to class." He opened the door for her as she nodded her consent, and the two began down the stairs.

"I don't think I've ever seen Ichigo so enticed by a single person in all of the years I've known him." Shinji was the first to comment once the pair was out of ear shot.

"I know, and I've never been so worried." Nel added. After seeing what he did today; exchanging dialogue with girls he's never even acknowledged before and telling them to their faces that they're just busybodies and loudmouths made it obvious that he was serious about this first year.

"This might be good for him." Kensei admitted. "Having feelings for a person makes you see life differently." He gave a slight squeeze to Mashiro's waist.

"Kensei's such a pervy sweetheart!" The energetic teen squealed, gave him a peck on the cheek, and ran out the door; leaving a speechless Kensei to clean up her mess and chase after her.

"And if he's lucky, the girl might just feel the same way." He hugged Hiyori from behind, upsetting the young girl and earning a jab to the gut. She grabbed her things and angrily stomped down the stairs. Love assisted Shinji to class leaving Lisa to comfort a thought-filled Nel.

"Don't worry so much, Nel. Kurosaki's a big boy and can take care of himself."

"You'd think that, but he's really not."

Ichigo and Rukia made it to her classroom with minimal stares.

"Hey, is it okay if I walk you home? Just for safety purposes, I mean."

"That'd be nice. Let's meet up by the front of the school." She gave a smile and nudged Ichigo in the direction of the stairs to his own class. "Go on, Strawberry. I'll be just fine."

He bowed his head and moved down the hall, turning back every few steps to check up on the raven-haired teen. She just gave a laugh and shooed him away.

Entering her classroom, she had her head held high, a total 180 from that morning. There were fewer stares and whispers this time around. The next two classes were easier than she expected them to be and before she knew it, school was over.

She tried not to rush to go outside, but still made it out before him. She was searching through her music library when her ear buds were yanked from out of her ear. In front of her were three bleach-blondes, each looking as vicious as the last.

"Can I help you three?" Rukia asked and pulled back her headphones from, who she guessed was, the leader's hands.

"We wanna know why you're messing around with Kurosaki." The girl in the center asked.

"Why is that of any importance to you?" Rukia asked in a fake sweet voice.

"Because if anyone deserves a guy that hot, it should be me."

"Or me."

"Or me." The two henchmen chimed in.

"But not a short, flat-chested, tomboy like you. Got that?"

"Look I don't really need this. I'm just waiting for someone, so can you leave?" Rukia tried looking around them, but they were too tall. Was this really happening?

"We'll leave when we wanna leave, bitch."

Rukia clutched her fist, about to say something, when a very masculine voice interrupted her.

"Is there a problem here?" The three girls turned around wide-eyed to see none other than Kurosaki Ichigo in front of them.

"Kurosaki-kun!" The girls yelped in unison.

He just ran a hand through his hair in agitation. "I thought I told you three to stop causing problems in regards to Kurosawa-san."

"But-but-." They tried explaining themselves, but Ichigo wasn't having any of it.

"No buts. I told you to stop your threats, gossip, and idiocy, did I not?" They tried arguing with him, but were quickly shushed.

"Did I not tell you this?" His voice was turning into a menacing whisper. The three just nodded in agreement.

"And yet here you are, causing problems." He inched them closer with his finger and they complied. "If you EVER bother Rukia again, I will personally make sure that the three of you can never talk again. Understood?" He moved away from the bullies and the three again nodded.

"Now I think Kurosawa-san deserves a much needed apology."

The three blondes automatically turned around and gave bows to the petite girl in front of them. "We're so very sorry, Kurosawa-san."

"Now was that so hard?" Ichigo gave a smile, but it wasn't one of the endearing ones Rukia had grown accustomed to seeing. This one was full of a fury that the raven-haired teen was glad not to be on the receiving end of. It gave his face almost a monstrous quality to it, but strangely enough, Rukia wasn't afraid. "Get out of my face." The girls squealed as the carrot top clapped his hands together and ran out from school property. He shook his head in disapproval and his face went back to his usual boyish features. "Can we go now?" He stuck his hands in his pockets as he asked.

"Sure." Rukia began walking and the carrot top adjusted to her pace. "Remind me to never get on your bad side, strawberry?" She gave a chuckle and elbowed his arm. Ichigo felt more relaxed and the two shared a comfortable walk home.

The two made their way to the reception desk of the apartment building.

Rukia turned to face the carrot top. "I forgot to ask, how do you know where I live? I don't remember giving you my address and this place is difficult to find as it is."

"To answer your first question: I got your address from Nel. It pays to know people with connections sometimes. And as for your second question, I live here- in this apartment building, on the third floor." He pointed up and Rukia looked thoroughly surprised.

"Well it's nice to meet you, neighbor." Rukia extended her hand, which Ichigo gladly accepted and the two smiled before heading to the stairs towards Rukia's door. "Thanks for everything, Ichigo."

"Of course, if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask." He was suddenly moving from one leg to the other as if anxious.  
"Why are you so jittery? Do you think I'm going to kiss you again?" She raised an eyebrow and placed a smirk on her face. Ichigo went from being tan to totally red.

"I wasn't even- I mean- it's just because-."

"Because?" She looked up at him innocently only adding to the carrot top's nervousness.

"Well you know that I'm you mentor because of that program that Nel created, right? I was wondering if I could have your number- just so it would be easier to talk if you ever need something." He was able to explain with minimal clumsiness.

"I forgot all about that. You're my mentor. So has senpai noticed me yet?" She spoke in a sweet voice and batted her eyelashes at the teen in front of her.

"Huh?" He seemed in a daze and Rukia took this opportunity to stick her hand in his cardigan pocket. She took out a black smartphone, slid the screen lock, and noticed the wallpaper was of chibi charmander, squirtle, and bulbasaur on a white background.

"You've gotta be shitting me." Rukia said as she pulled out her phone.

"What is it?" Ichigo questioned finally joining the conversation.

The black-haired girl pulled out the same smartphone, but in white, typed in her password, and showed Ichigo the same wallpaper on a lavender background.

"What are the fucking odds?" Ichigo gave a small laugh as he grabbed Rukia's phone from her hands. He dialed in his number and saved it in her contacts. At that moment, Rukia took a picture of Ichigo with his phone. "What'd you do that for?" He snatched his phone back from her.

"I need a picture of you for your contact photo, so don't delete that and give it to me." She touched her phone against his, pushed a button, and the file was transferred. Ichigo took a picture of her while she was distracted and ran towards the stairs before she could react. "I'll see ya tomorrow, midget."

Rukia gave out a sigh and looked at her phone. In her hands was the photo of a smiling Ichigo. 'He looks cute.' Rukia thought as she opened the door to her apartment. 'At least I'll have a picture to show Hisana.'

The next few days became routine for the two teens. They would walk to school together, have lunch together with Ichigo's friends, and then walk home together. This was followed by the two of them messaging each other about a show on TV, Rukia asking for help on a homework problem, or the two just joking around late into the night. On the Friday before the picnic, the group was again on the rooftop for lunch.

"I've been meaning to ask: how can we eat on the roof? Shouldn't the entrance be locked or prohibited to students?" Rukia inquired as she stole another piece of Ichigo's chicken parmesan sandwich.

"You weren't there during my speech at the entrance ceremony. Principal Urahara is my dad." Nel answered as she too took a piece of Ichigo's food.

"Stop stealing my food! I work hard on my lunches." Ichigo complained, but his words fell upon deaf ears.

"That's so cool! So you have special privileges?"

"Mmhmm. Like eating on the roof, changing the school uniforms, and creating the mentoring program." She went back to eating from her own bento. "Speaking of which, all of you have had your kohai chosen to meet tomorrow at our picnic and I think you'll be pleased by the results."

"Who's mine, who's mine?!" Mashiro was the first to jump up and ask.

"You have to wait until tomorrow, just like everybody else." Kensei grabbed her waist to bring her back to Earth. "Don't tell her, Nel or the poor soul who ends up as her kohai will be harassed for the rest of the day."

"I wasn't planning to; it ruins the surprise. Don't you remember how excited you were when you met your senpai last year?" Nel coaxed Mashiro into agreeing with her.

"You're right! I want to be super surprised at who I get, so don't tell me anything!" The spirited teen puffed her cheeks and covered her ears.

"Don't go holding your breath too; you'll pass out like last time." Kensei scorned as he pushed her cheeks with his free hand causing her to blow air, and saliva, on his face. Everyone laughed except for him.

"What'll you, Love, and the rest of the third years be doing while we're having our meet and greet?" Shinji asked after being punched in the face for trying to press Hiyori's cheeks.

"It isn't mandatory that we go since half of the senpai from last year transferred to different schools, but for those that do want to go, we'll have enough snacks to accommodate everyone."

"Why did so many third years transfer?" Rukia's curiosity was piqued by this piece of information.

The mood of the lunch group changed completely before Ichigo chose to be the one to explain the situation.

"There were rumors about a Sensei and a second year. They were never proven, but a lot of the parents of female students thought it best to take precautions and transferred them out."

"What happened to the Sensei?" Rukia asked completely rapt in the story.

"He wasn't charged or anything, he just had to leave school." Rukia only responded with an 'oh' and everyone felt awkward.

"Tomorrow's gonna be so fun!" Mashiro cheered, trying to lighten the mood. "I'm going to get friendship bracelets for me and my kohai. The conversation moved on to Mashiro telling Kensei to take her to a jewelry shop and him making a counteroffer of the crafts store. They then agreed on how they would be making it to their destination tomorrow and agreed that the designated driver would be Love, with Kensei in charge of taking Mashiro since the two lived a bit farther than everyone else. Ichigo insisted that he would take Rukia since they were neighbors and didn't fit in the carpool vehicle. Then the bell rang, signaling them all to clean up and get to class.

"Are you excited for tomorrow?" Rukia asked Ichigo, who again was sitting next to her.

"Not really since I already know who my kohai is. We don't really have to go through an awkward introduction and conversation." Ichigo acted nonchalant as he drank some soda.

"Because we go through awkward conversations on a daily basis." The raven-haired girl added as she put away her empty bento box in her bag, earning a chuckle from the carrot top.

"We'll pretty much have nothing to do tomorrow, so you might as well bring something to read." He said as he picked up her book, Of Mice and Men.

"I was planning that either way. If we're not really going to do the same thing as everyone else, maybe you can show me around the park; I heard it's humungous and absolutely beautiful." Rukia suggested as they made their way down the stairs towards her classroom.

Ichigo coughed down the soda he had in his mouth and threw the can in the recycling bin. "That sounds like a plan."

"Then it's a date, Ichigo." She gave a smirk and snatched her book before entering the classroom.

The carrot top was left wide-eyed in the hallway.

'A date?'

* * *

**A/N: You like? :D I tried putting as much as I could into this chapter to make up for the fact that I might not be updating until next week. Sorry! But I've got like a million assignments this week. Tell me what you think? See you guys in a week!**

**-Bonnie**


	5. Chapter 5- Our indiscretions

**A/N: Apparently I don't know how many days are in a week...Sorry for such a late update I was just so busy with classes and finals, but I have spring break this week so I'll try to dish out a few chapters in that time.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach which is a good thing because my writing is not good.**

* * *

Ichigo could not for the life of him concentrate during his last two classes. He couldn't stop thinking about the last thing Rukia said to him before going into her classroom. A date? Maybe she was just joking? He sure as hell hoped so; and yet a small part of him wanted her to have been serious. A date with a girl he actually got along with would be alright. A date with Kurosawa Rukia- a gorgeous, smart, and fucking badass girl- would be a dream come true. A tap on his shoulder broke him from his thought process.

"Hey Ichigo, class already ended. Don't keep that little beauty of yours waiting." Shinji said, adding a suggestive eyebrow wiggle at the end.

The carrot top just pushed his friend out of the way and rushed to the front of the school building, trying to hide the scarlet hue reaching his cheeks.

"Let's get going, baldy." Came the ever-so charming voice of Hiyori.

"Of course, my little butter biscuit." He went in for a smooch but received five across the face. An offended Hiyori stormed from the room and he gave his famous smirk as he chased after her.

~.~.~.~.~

Ichigo ran to grab his shoes then to the front of the building. Waiting for him was Kurosawa Rukia.

'Goddamn is she cute.' Ichigo thought as he walked up to her. She was spinning a bit in anticipation and the bottom of her skirt fluttered with every movement, giving her an angelic quality.

The moment broke as soon as she spoke. "Oi, Strawberry! Why are you keeping me waiting?" Her voice carried all around- catching the attention of every single person within hearing range. She earned a few murmurs and looks from both guys and girls, but brushed them off with ease as she made her way over to the carrot top. She began pulling him by the arm and the two left the school grounds.

Ichigo just gave a sigh and rubbed the back of his neck in contemplation as they made their way home. "You really like calling me 'strawberry', don't you?"

Rukia turned around to face him, while walking backwards, her big doe eyes looked up at him as a sign that he had her full attention. "I mean it's a cute nickname because your name is Ichigo."

"I know, it's just that the characters in my name mean 'the one who protects'." He said, not really sure what to expect next.

"Is that so?" Rukia looked pensive before looking up and responding. "I guess it suits you." She said nodding.

"You think so?" The carrot top inquired. "There are numerous people who would disagree with that statement."

"Well I for one would support it!" The petite girl gave a thumb's up. "You've been helping me since the moment I met you. You saved me from having to give that damn speech in front of the whole school, even though your method was…a little questionable." Rukia hovered her hand palm down and shook it a bit, making the carrot top chuckle.

"I knew you didn't want to give the speech either!" Ichigo exclaimed. He couldn't wait to rub Nel's face in it.

"Who likes talking in front of a crowd of judgmental kids? But that's beside the point; Ichigo, you're definitely the one I would go to if I ever get into trouble." Ichigo felt warmth in the pit of his stomach. Rukia's eyes were shining just for him.

The two were so distracted by the conversation that they didn't notice the two people jogging towards them. The effect was one of the joggers bumping into Rukia's back as they passed by, pushing her forward and into Ichigo's arms. Ichigo felt his heart beating out of his chest as he felt Rukia against him. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed the heat of her body until now. When he looked down at her, she looked up- eyes bright and cheeks blushing. The carrot top held his breath and closed his eyes, waiting for something to happen, but by the time he opened them again, she was already half a block away. He didn't exactly understand what just happened, but ran to catch up with Rukia.

When he finally reached her, she began to talk again as if nothing had happened. "So how are we getting to the park tomorrow? I mean most of the class is going by the school's transportation, all of your friends are carpooling; do you even have a license or a car?" She turned to him, her eyes losing their glow.

Ichigo tried relaxing himself and went along with the dialogue. "You've known me for all of five days and you already think you know everything about me; don't ya, midget?" He ruffled her hair and earned a kick to the shin and he yelped in pain. Rukia thought for a moment before proving her point.

"Let's see: you have two sisters, they live in your home town with your dad, who's a doctor. You live alone and you come to this school because your dad's like besties with the Urahara-san. You're surprisingly smart, but you're sooo lazy; am I missing anything, Kurosaki-kun?" She raised an eyebrow, challenging Ichigo to argue with her.

The carrot top let out a scoff and picked up the pace. Rukia worked with all of her might to catch up to his steps, but was still falling behind. "Where are you going in such a rush?" Rukia yelled as she felt a cramp coming on; she really needed to exercise some more.

"I'm gonna show you my ride, midget. Now hurry up!" He yelled as he turned the corner that lead them to their apartment. By the time Rukia made it to the front door of their building, Ichigo was nowhere in sight. Her phone started buzzing and Ichigo's face was in the center of the screen.

"Where are you?" She asked as she looked around, seeing no hint of orange.

"Just wait right there." There was a roaring noise in the background and then he hung up. After waiting for a couple of minutes, she heard the same roar from her right and turned to find a motorcycle heading in her direction and stopping right in front of her. The unknown figure removed the black and red helmet he wore and was revealed to be none other than Kurosaki Ichigo.

Rukia was certain that her mouth hit the sidewalk. He looked so…cool. It was a black Yamaha FZ8; Rukia knew this because Renji was constantly showing her photos of these expensive bikes that he wants to collect as soon as the band hit it big.

She walked up to the carrot top with her wide eyes looking at the shiny bike.

"Th-this is yours?" Her surprise caused amusement in the young man as she ran a hand across the shiny paint job.

"It was a going-away present from my dad. Actually, it's to replace the gift because I crashed that one last year." He said with such ease it puzzled Rukia. "So you want a lift?"

"Should I really be getting on a motorcycle with a guy who doesn't care about crashing them?" She raised an eyebrow and earned a smirk from the carrot top.

"Hop on and find out." He gave a chuckle and tossed a white helmet at her. Rukia took a moment to consider her options, but soon enough, she put on the helmet and got onto the motorcycle. "Hold on tight, midget." Ichigo revved up the motorcycle for effect and they were off.

Rukia felt such a rush! Ichigo was driving at who-knows-what speed and she didn't bother caring. The wind felt so nice against her skin and she had to admit that she didn't mind her hands across the carrot top's stomach. She could definitely feel his muscles and it sent an unfamiliar sensation down her spine.

Ichigo only drove a few blocks before turning back to the front of the apartment building. Rukia hopped off and the two removed the protective gear from their heads. Before Ichigo knew it, Rukia pounced on him. He had no time to react, all he knew was that Rukia's lips were once against his and it never felt so right. Her movements were much more untamed and erratic than during their first kiss. He didn't mind though. He fought to keep up with her, but before he could fully process, she had already pulled away. When Ichigo got a good look at the raven-haired beauty in front of him, he noticed that she was flushed and wouldn't meet his gaze.

"I-uh-I'm gonna go inside now. See you tomorrow." She rushed in saying before turning around.

"Wait Rukia-." Ichigo began before a blunt pain came from his chest. She'd thrown the helmet she was holding and used the distraction to enter the building. The teen could only let out a frustrated sigh as he revved up the motorcycle again and entered the underground parking structure.

~.~.~.~.~

While he was walking to his room, Ichigo contemplated going to see the petite girl and talking over the situation. This time the kiss wasn't initiated by him, and that probably made it a million times better. He wanted to know what caused it; he NEEDED to know, but he ultimately decided against it when he got hung up on the phone with Yuzu. She wanted to hear about his week and tell him about hers and Karin's. It's easy to see how he lost track of time because his younger sister was a detailed storyteller. The teen used the excuse of having to wake up early to end the conversation.

He checked his phone right after and noticed no new messages from Rukia. He continued to keep busy until exhaustion got the best of him and he went to bed. 'Guess tomorrow's gonna be awkward.'

~.~.~.~.~

Because of the events of the previous days, the carrot top could not go to sleep. When he woke up at 8 in the morning, he did the only thing he knew to do to keep him busy: cook. He worked diligently on scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns, and of course—chocolate chip pancakes. He'd considered inviting a certain petite girl, but decided against it. That was until his phone went off and _Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa_ by Vampire Weekend filled his ears and heart with excitement. He knew exactly who it was and for that exact reason he let it ring couple more times before answering so as not to seem so eager.

"Yo." He answered casually as he flipped another pancake.

"Hey Ichigo. Is it okay if I come over?" Rukia spoke in a tired voice. The carrot top didn't know what to say; he decided to accept and gave his consent as well as his apartment number. He kept cooking, this time a bit more energetically and even juiced some fruit.

After a few moments, there was a knock on his door. He cleaned his hands and moved to open the door. In front of him was Rukia in a light blue, oversized Vampire Weekend sweatshirt and a pair of gray shorts and white bunny slippers. Her hair was a bit disheveled in a messy bun and she seemed a bit on edge. She didn't even wait to be invited in and just walked past Ichigo.

"Oi, what's wrong?" Ichigo asked as he closed his door and walked over to Rukia who was now seated on the couch with both legs tucked under her and her head resting on her knees.

"It's gonna rain today." Her voice was barely above a whisper as she buried her face into her knees. This comment confused Ichigo. He'd been watching the morning news while making breakfast and there was no rain warning; in fact it was supposed to be a pleasant day with moderate clouds and freshness.

"Where'd you hear that from?" He asked a little concerned over her mood.

"I can just feel it." She turned her head to face him. Her eyes looked filled with melancholy. "You should probably call Nel and warn her ahead of time so that Urahara-san is prepared for it." She turned again and focused on the screen in front of her- they were just showing a boring newscast.

He didn't know what to do next, so he followed her instructions. He called Nel and informed her that it would probably rain today although the weather forecast gave no notice. The teal-haired friend on the other line found this creepy ominous warning to be exciting and made plans with her father to have him and Yoruichi go to the park ahead of time and set up tents around the large gazebo at the center of the grounds.

Once he hung up, Rukia let out a sigh of relief and her stomach rumbled. Ichigo gave a slight chuckle and offered her some of the food he'd prepared to which she easily accepted. She gave a slight hum and her expression seemed to change a bit as soon as she took the first bite. Ichigo was thankful for this and was able to enjoy his breakfast without feeling any awkwardness. That was, until he noticed the way she licked the side of her mouth to remove some syrup that had ended up there.

He felt absorbed in every trivial flick of her little pink tongue and the way she bit her bottom lip in contemplation of what she would eat next. He didn't even notice when she started calling his name. What did call his attention, however, was when a bacon strip hit his face.

"Oi, what was that for?" He asked as he picked up the piece of food and ate it.

"I'm trying to talk to you and you're in another world or something." When the carrot top remembered what thoughts were occupying his mind moments ago, his face blushed as a response.

"I was just thinking about…uh…how you seem to be acting weird this morning, but it seems like you're going back to your old self again." Ichigo was able to come up with a plausible excuse.

"About that." Rukia began keeping her eyes locked on her now-clean plate. Her expression was once again somber. "I hate the rain. Whenever it's going to rain, I feel gloomy."

It took a while for Ichigo to process this new information. "I can get why you would hate the rain- I hate it too." He finally responded with as he scraped some eggs across his plate.

"Y-you do?" Rukia's eyes looked up from her plate, but amethyst did not meet hazel. Ichigo was at the sink, mindlessly washing the dirty pots and pans. Rukia made her way over to him, not really knowing what to do. His mood had made a 180. She was the one feeling sad only moments ago, but now her main objective was to make Ichigo not feel gloomy any more. So she did the only thing she knew she could do, the only thing she liked when she was feeling down. She walked up to him from behind, rested her head on his back- causing minor surprise to stir in the carrot top- and finally snaked her hand around his abdomen.

"Wha-what are-." Ichigo tried stuttering out, but was quickly interrupted by Rukia's next words.

"I'm sorry if I brought back some bad feelings. I'm just so used to being miserable on these kinds of days- I don't realize how I affect the people around me." Her voice was just above a whisper.

"It's really not-." He started again, but the petite girl wasn't finished.

"Don't tell me something you don't wanna talk about. I have no right to ask that of you, so don't worry." She spoke calmly and evenly, but Ichigo could feel her heartbeat on his back. It was rapid and it oddly relaxed him. When he was about to reach up to grab a hold of her petite hands, his phone went off. When_ Lisztomania _by Phoenix started playing from the living room, the two quickly broke apart as if caught in a compromising condition. Well they were, but it's not like anyone was watching.

"Who's that?" Rukia asked as she pulled at the sleeves of her sweatshirt, trying desperately to stop the awkward aura that seemed to be suffocating her.

"It's Mashiro. What's she doing up so early?" The carrot top ran over to his phone, stumbling a bit in the process before answering.

"Hey Mashiro."

"Ichi! You have to call me by my nickname when you answer the phone." The voice on the other side screamed, practically busting the carrot top's eardrum. He blatantly denied her demand seeing as he didn't want to embarrass himself even more in front of Rukia. The hyper teen then threatened to hold her breath until he would appease to her request, which of course he did.

"Good morning…marshmallow." He cringed then blushed when he heard Rukia snicker. He gave a cough as he tried to recompose himself. He asked what she wanted and she quickly responded with wanting to talk to Rukia. He handed the phone over to a bewildered Rukia.

Mashiro began talking a mile a minute. Nel had called Kensei about the weather situation. He then informed Mashiro who also found excitement in the vagueness of the warning. She wanted to know when it was going to rain, how harsh, and for how long. She wanted to know what she should wear during the rain and for the rest of the day. All of these questions were sending Rukia into a daze. She responded with what she felt. The rain was coming in the afternoon, it wouldn't be harsh, and it wouldn't last long. She should wear some sturdy boots and light layers with a jacket, she warned her to take an extra change of clothing just in case. Mashiro again squealed and hung up without a goodbye.

The two teens looked at each other with confusion, but before either could speak, Ichigo's phone went off with _Sex on Fire _by Kings of Leon.

Rukia looked at the caller ID "It's-."

"Kensei. Toss it over." Ichigo responded and easily caught the phone with a hand.

"Yo."

"Hey man. I'm sorry about Mashiro. She got way more excited by Nel's news than I expected her to. She just shot out of bed and I kept her distracted with food for as long as possible but she found her phone and locked herself in her room. Tell Rukia I'm really sorry." Ichigo relayed the message and Rukia said that it was no problem. Kensei hung up after Mashiro yelled at him to help her get dressed.

When Rukia looked at the time, she realized she needed to get ready or they would be running late. She excused herself and made her way home.

~.~.~.~.~

She took a while in her bath, feeling the effect of the upcoming rain on her. She felt so cold inside- a familiar emptiness was beginning to consume her whole. She brought her legs in and rested her head on her knees. She needed to think of something to rid her of this terrible feeling before she talked herself out of going to the park. A flash of orange passed through her mind. She pictured Ichigo's usual endearing scowl, cute smile, and his heart-stopping gaze right before he kissed her. Wait. Rukia began to feel flustered and jumped out of the now-hot tub and got dressed.

A striped blue and black long-sleeve sweatshirt, a pair of black pleated shorts over leggings and a pair of maroon dr. martens tied the outfit together. She kept her hair down, letting it dry out. She grabbed a black coat and her backup bag before making her way upstairs to Ichigo's door.

Right after she knocked, her phone started buzzing—it was Renji. She was supposed to call him that morning, but completely lost track of time. When she heard the click of the lock from inside the apartment, she slid her finger across her phone's screen, ignoring the call, and stuffed the phone into her pocket. She asked if he was ready and he joked about already growing a beard because of how long he was waiting for her.

She jabbed him in the gut and used that chance to step into his apartment. They were ready to go except for Ichigo needing jacket. He grabbed a coat not wanting to argue about something Rukia seemed so adamant about, his own bag, and the two were on their way.

As she stood in front of the motorcycle, Rukia felt a little conscious about getting back on it. Would she have the same reaction she had last time? She sure as hell hoped not. She couldn't afford to make this day any worse than it already would be. A hand waved in front of her face, followed by an 'oi, midget.' Rukia once again focused, gave the carrot top a kick, and told him not to call her midget. She grabbed the white helmet, hopped on the motorbike, and off they went.

~.~.~.~.~

They made good time since they actually live closer to the park than the school. Since the park is in a relatively remote location, there are no trains that passed through it. The school was taking a few buses and the drive would take about an hour depending on traffic. That, however, was not a problem for Ichigo. With the way he drove in between cars and way past the speed limit, they arrived in no time.

Rukia again felt a rush when she rode with him. His sharp turns, complete and total neglect for the law, and the noise that the engine made was driving her wild! She needed to calm down; she knew this, but there was something deep inside her that just couldn't be contained for much longer. Instead of feeling the usual chill in her body that came along with most rainy days, she felt as though she was about to overheat. She needed the bike to stop soon, or she would need to stop it herself.

Thankfully they made it to their destination before long. As soon as Ichigo parked his motorcycle, Rukia hopped off and moved a distance away. She needed to get her breathing under control- she needed to get her thoughts under wraps. The carrot top found her actions to be odd and chased after her. He yelled her name to make her stop, but she wouldn't listen to him and kept walking. He eventually did catch up, grabbed her by the shoulders, and turned her around. She was flushed and would once again meet his gaze. It reminded him of the previous day, when she initiated the kiss. She kept biting her lower lip and Ichigo started licking his.

Rukia pulled him by the jacket and her lips were once again on his. She was pulling his bottom lip, wasting no time to gain access into his mouth with her tongue. He'd been waiting for that magical moment to happen. Well third time was the charm. The two were having a battle within their mouths, neither wanting to accept defeat. She was running her hands through his hair, tugging at it to get more of his attention. Ichigo wrapped one arm around her waist, slightly lifting her shirt and feeling the silkiness of her skin, while his other hand gently caressed her neck and shoulder.

The two suddenly felt a drop of wetness on their heads. The rain was picking up quite a bit, very quickly to a steady pour. Instead of pulling away, the two continued to cling more to one another. Ichigo could feel Rukia smiling into the kiss, for that moment in time she felt completely carefree, but the two ultimately pulled away from one another from lack of oxygen. Rukia couldn't stop staring at Ichigo; the pink tint never leaving her cheeks. A small but negligible smile was plastered on Ichigo's face.

"We should, uh, be careful in the rain." Ichigo began as he outstretched his hand, which she timidly accepted. Completely ignoring the rain, the two walked calmly towards the area of the park they needed to be at.

~.~.~.~.~

It took them a while, but they eventually found what they were looking for. It was hard to miss actually.

"Urahara-san really goes all out, doesn't he?" Rukia looked in amazement of what was in front of her.

"It's not Urahara if it isn't exaggerated." Ichigo responded with. Behind a beautiful and simple gazebo was a large extravagant rectangular tent. There were tables everywhere, lounge areas, bars, and multiple buffet tables, all designed with the school's colors of black, gray, and blue. There were numerous people running around to put the finishing touches on everything. The two stepped in to protect themselves from any further attack of rain and instantly caught the attention of a certain golden-eyed beauty.

She tried to downplay the smirk that was forming at the sight before her. Kurosaki Ichigo was actually hand-in-hand with a beautiful girl, and not just any girl; who would've thought. "Well look who are the first to arrive. And you two are absolutely soaking wet." She called over a server to bring clean towels, she handed them over to the teens to dry off as another server took their coats to hang. Rukia was grateful that she'd brought an oversized jacket since her clothes stayed dry for the most part. Ichigo, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. His pants were practically soaked through and Rukia couldn't help but feel guilty. She grabbed the towel and started patting down Ichigo's pants. This became awkward for the carrot top because the sensation it was causing…was an unwelcomed one. Through a deep blush, he grabbed the raven-haired girl's wrist and pulled her up.

"Y-you don't have to do that." He managed to stutter out. He heard Yoruichi stifling a giggle and threw a glare her way before turning back to Rukia. "I brought extra clothes, remember?" This time it was her turn to redden. She'd completely forgotten the extra change of clothes she'd told him to pack. She pulled back the towel, as Ichigo excused himself to go change, and turned to Yoruichi, trying to play it cool. "When will the rest of the class be arriving, Shihoin-san?"

"About twenty-thirty minutes, it seems that the vice principal wanted to wait for all of the students and have the seating be completely perfect before leaving the school, so they're a bit behind schedule." She said a little ticked off. "She's always so anal about such things- it can be quite bothersome."

"Wait…I thought you were the vice principal?" Rukia asked a little bewildered. Shihoin Yoruichi definitely acted like she ran the place.

"Oh no, I'm not the vice principal; I'm just bangin' the principal." She gave a promiscuous smile which caused Rukia's face to become a deep crimson. She gave a chuckle before responding. "I'm a lawyer, but I help Kisuke since the vice-principal kind of has some health issues at the moment." She seemed to be tip-toeing around the truth.

Ichigo soon returned in a dry pair of dark-wash jeans. He walked over to the two and informed them that Nel's group just arrived and would be there momentarily. Yoruichi said that was her cue to go wake up Urahara and make sure he looked proper for the teens. She walked over to the gazebo.

The pair heard shouting from the opposite direction. Walking towards them were Nel, Lisa, Love, Shinji, and Hiyori. Nel, wearing a coral pleated dress and distressed denim jacket while Lisa wore an aqua blue peacoat over what looked like a white skirt, shared an umbrella. Love was wearing a light green sweater. What Rukia saw next completely shocked her. Shinji and Hiyori were so close together under the same umbrella, and better yet, the lanky blond had his arm around his girlfriend's(?) waist and the two were holding hands. Shinji wore a black long-sleeved shirt peeking from under a trench coat, and black newsboy cap. Hiyori looked so cute in a red hooded trench coat and black skinny jeans with red rain boots. Her usually pinned bangs were free and they swept playfully around her face.

"Aren't those two cute?" Rukia said as a smirk appeared on her face.

"Yeah, I don't know what it is about the weekend that makes Hiyori so happy, but that just makes Shinji ecstatic. It's why he can never wait for the weekend." Ichigo had been around them for many-a weekends and he saw the petite blonde's unexplainable transformation. She always seemed more serene and less frigid; he would even go as far as saying she was actually fun to be around.

When everyone met up they greeted one another and the wet coats were quickly taken away to dry hang.

"So it seems that the rest of the class is almost here, but I wonder where Mashiro and Kensei are." Nel questioned as she smoothed out the wrinkles from her dress.

"I called them and they weren't picking up the phone." Shinji said as he pulled out his phone. "I haven't gotten any calls or messages."

"I bet it's because they got lost since Kensei isn't good with directions." Love inquired.

"Mashiro probably misplaced her phones." Lisa added.

Hiyori gave a snicker. "She probably fell asleep so he can't even ask her."

"And when they do get here, they're going to take forever because she's going to want to run around in the rain and Kensei will try to contain her." Shinji clapped his hand as he joined the game his friends were playing.

"So of course, we're going to see Kensei coming from-." Ichigo pointed in the direction that was opposite of where the rest of the group came from. "-carrying her piggyback style with a frown on his face." Everyone gave a laugh and Rukia couldn't help but smile at the bonds she saw around her. This group of people was definitely closer than any other she'd ever met and she felt so honored to even be witness to it.

The group went to sit down in a nearby square-shaped lounge area, just waiting for the rest of their party. Hiyori and Shinji shared the loveseat on the right as she complained that it was too cold. He used this as the perfect opportunity to wrap an arm around her and pull her closer to him, which she just gave a blush-filled half-hearted scolding to. Lisa pulled out "less-than-appropriate" reading material that Rukia noticed she carried around like a normal book. Love was peeking over her shoulder, trying to read along, much to her chagrin. Nel sat next to the two, but turned her attention was on the couple sitting in the loveseat next to her.

"What do you think of the place so far?" She said in a happy tone.

"Oh, it's very beautiful from what I've seen, and it's also…very big." _What kind of half-ass answer is that, Kurosawa?! _Rukia mentally scorned herself. She just couldn't really think of an appropriate response since…well she didn't really pay attention to anything on the way here since her mind was flooded with what she and Ichigo had just done.

Nel didn't seem to notice and just gave a smile while agreeing with the petite girl. She gave a mental sigh of relief and although their conversation was a little clunky, it never had an awkward silence.

"Where are they?" Nel once again questioned as she hung up her phone for the third time. Everyone was beginning to worry. At that moment, the group saw the couple they were just talking about coming from the direction Ichigo had pointed to a while ago.

"Speak of the devil." Commented Shinji as he rested his chin on Hiyori's shoulder. The rest of the group turned to where the blonds were facing and lo and behold came the odd couple. Kensei was in cargo pants, a navy blue sleeveless shirt, and black combat boots. He was carrying a barely visible, most likely sleeping, Mashiro who was clad in a black hooded poncho, so even her hair couldn't be seen. Her legs were dangling from either side of him in orange rain boots. The oddest part of this was that Mashiro had the umbrella firmly in her hands, holding it over the two to keep them, Kensei for the most part, from getting wet. As they got closer, the group could tell that Kensei was speaking by the movement of his lips and the changes in his expression and deduced that Mashiro was indeed awake and the two were having a conversation.

As soon as they made it to the lounge area, Mashiro jumped out of Kensei's hold and shed what she called an ugly glob, revealing a cute orange turtleneck under a pair of white short overalls with black and gray tights. She threw it on to the floor and one of the servers came and quickly scooped it up. Kensei told her apologize and say thank you, so she did. The gray-haired teen gave a sigh of exhaustion and fell onto the single-seat sofa across from Nel, Love, and Lisa. Mashiro took the opportunity and sat on his lap as the rest of the group began attacking them with questions. Everyone else wanted to know exactly what happened to them and why they took so long.

Kensei went on a short story of how Mashiro wasted all of the battery on his phone as he was getting ready and he couldn't find his charger. Mashiro misplaced her phone and fell asleep on the trip there, so he had to figure out how to get here on his own. When they arrived the rain was steadily increasing in power and Mashiro refused to wear her poncho and wanted to run around, stepping on all of the puddles along the way. Kensei propositioned that he would give her a piggyback ride over here if she listened to him, which she inevitably did.

"Kensei was telling me THE best story of princess Frankenstein who created three little piggy monsters that built different types of houses for the people of the Humpty Dumpty kingdom until an evil girl named Goldilocks tried out the three types to see which one was the best BY BLOWING THE REST DOWN." The lime-haired teen puffed up her cheeks, outstretched her arms, and made a 'poof' noise for the dramatization.

Everyone in the group just stared in awe at the pair as Mashiro readjusted herself on her boyfriend's lap and wrapped Kensei's arm around her.

"I-I don't think those are how the stories go." Rukia was the first one to speak up.

"I know, but Mashiro doesn't like the regular stories, so I always combine well-known stories and then mess them up." Kensei commented as Yoruichi walked up to the group with a groggy-looking Urahara.

"The school will be arriving in a few minutes and it seems the rain is starting to clear up, gang. I feel that today's going to be a marvelous day." She spoke to the group, but her eyes were focused on a certain carrot top and raven-haired teen. No one seemed to notice her little remark, but Ichigo caught it and glared at the woman. _ She knows, doesn't she? _The carrot top thought to himself as his scowl deepened.

Urahara, who had been quiet until now, suddenly brightened up at the sight he had been looking forward to the whole day, his students. There was going to be a total of 420 of them and he was excited to see all of them. Everyone in the group stood up and most of them began to walk over to meet the rest of the students; _most_ because a certain Kurosaki Ichigo pulled an unsuspecting Kurosawa Rukia, by the hand, away from everyone else and towards the opposite direction where the coats were hanging. He grabbed his and Rukia's coats and the two went off running. Rukia giggled a bit, but covered her mouth and the two were out of sight.

~.~.~.~.~

They jogged what felt like a bit of distance until they were at the top of a hill. There was a little picnic table with a checker-print cloth and a vase of fresh flowers under a large umbrella with two place settings and a little speaker set.

"What is all of this?" Rukia spoke in wonder at the cuteness of the setting.

Ichigo rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Urahara wasn't the only one who got people to fix up ahead of time. This is the best spot to look over the park." Indeed, Ichigo had spent a good chunk of change to get this set up during the rain on such short notice, but he thought it was worth it- _she _was worth it.

The two took a seat, while the carrot top popped his phone to play some music, and admired the beauty before them. The rain had stopped completely and there was the loveliest rainbow forming in the bleary sky which covered all of the wonderfully green landscape of the park. It was…breath taking.

"But won't we be needed by Urahara-san down there?" Rukia was finally in the right mentality to ask questions. The carrot top pulled a basket from under his side of the table.

"You already missed your introduction speech, what's one more thing?" He joked as he pulled out two thermoses and multiple little containers that he spread out around them. Inside each container was a different dessert, each looking as delicious as the next.

"Did you make all of these?" She asked again in awe; man, she experiencing that a lot today. There were cookies, cupcakes, brownies, slices of pies, lemon bars, and was that flan?

"It's flan." Ichigo confirmed; he had been staring at her as she eyed the food and knew her unspoken question. He handed her a fork. "I didn't really have much to do yesterday, so I spent the time talking to my sister and baking. I'm not sure if it's any good, but I still wanted you to try it." His face was tinted an adorable pink and he wouldn't meet her eyes. Rukia couldn't help herself- she placed a hand over his, earning his gaze and gave a sweet smile.

"If it's even half as good as your cooking, then there won't be a problem." Ichigo gave a sincere smile and the two began to dig in. Ichigo offered a cup of coffee or milk; she took the coffee, leading to the jab of stunt growth then a pie to the face. Their conversation flowed so smoothly, the food was gobbled up and there were no awkward topics brought up between them. Everything felt perfect. After about an hour, they decided to join the rest of the school. Ichigo placed all of the empty containers into the basket, laid it back down on the ground, grabbed his phone, and made a call to clean up the area now.

Ichigo wanted to grab her hand, but didn't want to ruin the mood with anything unnecessary.

~.~.~.~.~

When they were near the tent, they could see that it was packed with people. Everyone seemed to be in little cliques and it took them a while to find their group until Ichigo heard the unmistakable voice of Kuna Mashiro. She was jumping around, shaking her hands and was caught in Kensei's arms to keep her as under control as possible. The two walked over to the much larger group. They expected to be question by their sudden and lengthy disappearance but we blessed with the energetic teen's distraction.

Mashiro had the biggest smile plastered on her face. "Guys, Nel gave me her sister!" She cheered as she pulled the arm of a girl in a white blouse and long, pink skirt who was innocently talking to Nel. She had two high ponytails and bangs covering her face. She seemed to have a timid personality but gave a slight smile and bowed to them.

"Good afternoon, Ichigo-kun and Kurosawa-san." Before she could say anything more, Mashiro was lifting her arm in the air. "Look at our matching bracelets!" She was showing off these bright pink and blue bracelets that Mashiro spent the previous day making.

"It's good to see you again, kiddo." Ichigo gave a faint grin as he ruffled her hair. Her eyes brightened a bit, but then went back to their usual dull manner.

"Yo-you too, Ichigo-kun." She stated as she retreated back next to Nel.

"I didn't know you had a sister, Nel." Rukia said; a hint of surprise evident in her voice.

"I guess I forgot to mention it." She gave an awkward laugh. "I have two older brothers, Ururu, and a younger brother." She gave Ururu a little squeeze.

Next were Hiyori and Shinji who seemed to be arguing and two figures behind them, a boy with white, disheveled hair and a girl with black hair in a tidy bun, seemed to be having a conversation of their own. Ichigo inquired about them and Nel explained how Hiyori wasn't happy that Shinji got a girl kohai while hers was a guy. They made their way back to the group and introduced the two freshmen. "This is Hitsugaya Toushiro and Hinamori Momo." Hiyori spoke in a less-than-amused tone.

Nel sighed and again tried to explain that her reasoning was because Toushiro was a soccer player and she was already captain of the school's team while Shinji and Momo were both Biology majors. The two freshmen already knew each other and weren't bothered by the couple's arguments, and stayed quiet as the others spoke.

Lisa was with a girl who looked terrifyingly similar to her; black hair, glasses, and her nose in a book, not the same genre, but a book nonetheless. "This is Kyoraku Nanao; she likes books." Lisa summarized from behind an apparently enticing story. The girl in question raised her hand and gave a quick hello before returning to her book.

"Where's your kohai?" Ichigo questioned Kensei as he looked around.

"He went to go get me something to drink since I have to keep an eye on this one at all times." He nudged towards Mashiro who just gave a cheeky smile and responded with, "I am a handful, Ichi."

"What's he like?" Rukia asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

"He's a bit…odd. He's a good guy and all but it seems he already knows so much about me." He said as he ran a hand through his already messy gray hair.

"He says he's Kensei's number one fan and goes to all of his kendo matches. It's so cute." Mashiro commented as the person they were talking about came close to them. Kensei accepted the drink from the dark-haired guy with a 'thank you' and began with, "this is-."

Before he could finish, Rukia interrupted, eyes wide. "Shuhei?"

"Rukia." His eyes lit up with recognition. "Why if it isn't Kurosawa Rukia." He came up to her and wrapped her in a tight hug. The petite girl's initial shock wore off and she reluctantly reciprocated the hug.

"It's been so long." She faked a smile as they released each other.

"Too long, Rukia. How've you been?" He gave a big smile as he tucked some hair behind her ear. "You look as beautiful as ever."

The petite girl blushed out of embarrassment and gave a bashful 'thank you'. Everyone had questioning looks, but a certain carrot top just scowled. _How do they know each other? _Ichigo was about to ask, when Hiyori beat him to the punch.

"How the hell do you two know each other?" There was an upside to having weekday Hiyori around.

"Hisagi and I actually went to school together a couple of years ago and we have a few mutual acquaintances, so we still see each other every once in a while." Rukia gave a shortened version to the extent of their relationship; she didn't want to bring up old skeletons.

Everyone else seemed satisfied with the response; well, almost everyone. "What a small world." Nel commented, a red flag going up in her mind, and she suspected the same thing was going through Ichigo's. She chose to change the topic of conversation. "Where were you two anyways?"

The two looked at the teal-haired teen, at each other, blushed, and looked away, stammering for a response. They hadn't thought of a believable excuse.

"I misplaced my phone, so Ichigo was kind enough to help me…look for it." Even Rukia didn't have faith in her story, how would anyone else. All of the second years had knowing grins on their faces, but said nothing.

Feedback was heard throughout the tent and everyone turned to the source of the noise. A petite chubby, maybe pregnant, woman with black braided hair, a loose black dress and white overcoat was in the gazebo in front of a microphone. Rukia had to guess she was the vice principal.

"Hello again, class. It's nice that everyone seems to be getting along so wonderfully. There are numerous amenities offered in this park as most of you already know, so please enjoy the rest of the time around the park." She gave an awkward smile, but it was cute nonetheless.

"It's just as Soi Feng said, my little pendulum high students. Be free, roam around spread your wings and fly!" It seemed that Urahara stole the show as well as the microphone. There were chuckles heard from all around, the vice principal seemed annoyed, but the laughter only strengthened Urahara.

"Be free, be free!" He pulled out a fan from nowhere and began to flap it like a wing. It looked as though the petite woman was about to pounce, but was restrained by dark-haired young man. With that, everyone went on their way. They got to choose between fishing, horseback riding, paddle boating, softball, hiking, playgrounds, and bike rentals. It was indeed an enormous park and everyone wanted to enjoy the next six hours.

~.~.~.~.~

Ichigo's group settled for the bike riding, since the grass was still damp from the rain, but the cemented areas were dry enough. Ichigo, Rukia, Nel, Ururu, Love, Lisa, and Nanao squeezed into a double surrey, with Ichigo and Rukia taking the backseat; Nel, Ururu, and Love taking the front pedals; and finally Lisa and Nanao squeezed into seats in the front because 'they were too busy reading.'

The rest of the group rode in a second double surrey with Kensei, Mashiro, and Hisagi in the back; Shinji and Hitsugaya manned the front pedals; and Hiyori and Momo sat in the front. The pedaling all of around was exhausting, but whenever they got to the top of the hills and rolled down them, it was like a rollercoaster. The mood uplifted in no time, and even Hiyori's sour expression sweetened once again as she bonded with the soft-spoken, kind-hearted brunette. They raced a few times with Ichigo's group making out on top two out of three times because of their secret weapon, Ururu. Boy could that girl pedal! Rukia had to fight to just keep up.

They spent the rest of the days moving between the different activities, good thing the girls had bought more fitting clothing. They went horseback riding and Hiyori lost control of her horse, leading to Shinji having to chase after her, saving her, and returning to her good graces- sealing it with a simple kiss. They paired off and went to the paddle boats, peddling towards one another as if in a game of bumper cars. They tried fishing, but Mashiro wanted to jump into the lake to catch them with her bare hands. They took a small break and then moved on to a not-so-friendly game of softball. It started off well enough when Kensei's group was hitting; that was until Mashiro went up to bat. To say she's competitive would be the understatement of the century. She hit homeruns every time and loved to gloat about it. Rukia couldn't help but laugh, but put on a solemn expression when Ichigo told her to take it more seriously.

Before they knew it, they had been spending two hours on the game. Everyone was sweat-soaked and breathing heavily, but not willing to quit. It was a few minutes to eight and they needed to rejoin the rest of the school back under the tents. It was Rukia's turn to bat; against her will, of course.

She knew she sucked at sport- she admitted it, but everyone else had already rotated out. They were tied and the team already had two outs with Mashiro as the pitcher. The lime-haired teen had a gleam in her eyes as she bent her arm behind her, readying her pitch. Rukia uncomfortably held the bat and slightly bent her knees, a hint Ichigo gave her moments ago. He told her to wait three seconds after she wanted to swing to actually swing because she was always too early.

The petite girl felt her palms getting sweating, she heard her teammates calling to her but they sounded muffled under the loudness of her heartbeat. She turned toward Ichigo one last time and he gave her a smile and thumbs up. She took in a deep breath, positioning herself again, this time more confidently. As the ball came towards her, she wanted to swing her bat right away, but remembered Ichigo's words.

_One._

The ball was swiftly coming towards her.

_Two._

The distance was practically nonexistent.

_Three. _

Rukia closed her eyes and swung her bat with whatever energy she had left inside of her. The bat and ball made contact, the ball flying off and out of sight.

Rukia looked dumbstruck when it finally hit her.

_We won. _She thought. "We won!" She yelled as she ran towards her group and into an awe-stricken Ichigo's open arms. The two remembered where they were and what they were doing and quickly parted, blushing at the same time before cheering once again.

Everyone returned to the tents, talking, and sometime arguing, about the game. By the time they returned, they noticed that everything that was set up during the day was now gone, the only thing left was the gazebo which Urahara and Yoruichi were under, clearly waiting for the teens. Urahara ran to both of his girls and wrapped them into a heartwarming hug.

"Aren't my girls just the prettiest ever? Your beauty seems to increase every time I see you two." He gave each a kiss on the forehead, earning a blush from each.

"Daaaaad." Nel whined. She loved her dad but he was way too embarrassing sometimes. He released her and she turned to Yoruichi. "Where is everyone?"

Yoruichi just gave a smirk. "We told everyone that the buses were leaving _at_ seven, so they're gone already."

The first years all had surprised expressions. They were having so much fun, they forgot to hurry back.

"But not to worry, my children." Urahara butted into Yoruichi's joke. "We are here to take you back, unless you all wanted to hang out some more, it's on me!" He gave a wide smile to the crowd in front of him.

"I wouldn't mind going to eat or something, all that playing today made me extremely hungry." Nel was the first to respond. The rest of the second years agreed as well. When Ichigo gave his consent, he turned to Rukia to ask what she wanted. Of course she didn't mind hanging out with them some more, so she quickly agreed. As soon as she established she was sticking around, Hisagi jumped in agreement as well. Kensei didn't seem to mind since he was growing attached to the peculiar fellow. Mashiro took that opportunity and responded for her kohai, who nervously gave consent. Lisa gave Nanao a nudge, having her look up from her page, and nodding. After a bit of convincing, Momo was able to get Hitsugaya to tag along.

~.~.~.~.~

With everything settled, everyone went on their way. They were able to fit everyone comfortably in the two vehicles and planned to meet at a well-known burger shack by Nel's home. The first ones to arrive were of course Rukia and Ichigo. She was, thankfully, able to control herself from attacking Ichigo a third time, taking deep breaths as they entered the place, much to the carrot top's disappointment. They didn't have to wait long before everyone else showed up and the orders were hastily taken. They set up three regular tables next to each other to comfortably seat the fourteen of them, but Rukia ended up between Ichigo and Hisagi. The food was brought out in no time, everyone getting exactly what they wanted.

There was conversation all around. It was quickly discovered that Hitsugaya, as he preferred to be called, was actually a GENIUS and had chosen to do less than perfectly on the entrance exams because he didn't want to be stuck with the responsibility of president. He and Momo are neighbors and childhood friends but nothing else, as speculated by Mashiro. Nanao was an only child who lived with her single father, another detail that Lisa could relate to. Throughout the conversation, Hisagi was taking up all of Rukia's attention, a fact that Ichigo couldn't stand.

"I've missed you." He quietly whispered to her as he put another fry in his mouth, but still catching the ear of an irritated Ichigo.

"I've just been busy with moving and school. I meant to contact you." She responded with as she took a sip of her lemonade. "I forgot you lived in this town."

"And here I thought you moved here for me." He gave a slight smirk as his finger grazed her hand when he reached for his own drink.

"You know I'm with Renji." She whispered this part so quietly, even Ichigo missed it.

"I know that, but it seems you're the one who forgets." He again brushed her hair out of her face. "I saw you on the first day of school." His hand lingered on her now-crimson cheek.

Ichigo couldn't stand it anymore! Although he couldn't hear them anymore, he'd seen _that. _He stood up without thinking and caught the attention of his friends.

"What's wrong, Ichigo?" Shinji spoke with his mouth full of food.

_Shit. _Ichigo had no response, so it took him a while to think of something. "I'm not feeling well, dude. I think the rain got to me." He awkwardly rubbed his arm as if to show chills. "I'm just gonna head home." He turned to Rukia and tried his best not to glare at her conversational partner.

"Are you coming, Rukia?" He tried to keep the venom from spewing out as he looked at the guy next to the raven-haired teen, he failed.

"S-sure." Rukia spoke unsurely. She stood up and was reaching for her purse when Ichigo slammed a few twenties on the table.

"That should cover the bill." He didn't give Rukia a second glance and went out the door. The petite teen gave her goodbyes and raced after Ichigo. He handed her the helmet without another word, barely giving her a chance to fasten it on and seat herself before they were off.

"What the fuck was that?" Hiyori yelled to rid the table of its awkward silence.

"I-I'm not really sure." Shinji answered- surprise evident on his face.

"Guys, I found my phone!" Mashiro yelled as she pulled it out from her backpack. "Look at all of the missed calls and messages! You guys must have really been worried." She tried her hardest to ease the atmosphere. Her flamboyant personality was very useful at times.

"Speaking of which- can I have your number?" She turned to Ururu with an extra sugary smile.

"Of course." Ururu complied and the two exchanged numbers. Everyone else did the same, completely forgetting to do it earlier that day. Since it seemed that dinner was over, everyone stood up and walked out of the restaurant.

There was something that was gnawing at Nel throughout the day and she needed her answers before it was too late. She abruptly turned to Hisagi and gave an unwavering look to the younger student. "How exactly do you know Rukia and what is your relationship with her?" Her voice came out harsher than she had expected it to and that frightened Hisagi more than he was willing to admit.

"She and I are just old friends; didn't you, didn't you hear her already?" He spoke through a slight stutter.

"Don't bullshit me. I saw the way you were talking and you kept touching her. What's the fucking deal?" She shot a glare that made the teen quiver. Nobody dared act just yet, but Love and Kensei were ready to act, knowing how Nel got when it came to Ichigo.

"I-if you really wa-wanna know, then ask her personally." He backed away from the authoritative girl.

"I'm asking you." She spoke through clenched teeth, grabbing a hold of his collar. Hisagi knew he was in danger since the guys inconspicuously inched closer to their raging leader.

"She and I used to be intimate. A-and the way I know her is because my cousin is in a band with her boyfriend." He covered his face, expecting an impact that never came.

Nel dropped her arms, eyes wide. The other second years had similar expressions while the rest just stared in confusion.

_Boyfriend?_

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**A/N: What do you guys think? Your reviews really helped me to finish this chapter, although I'm not really happy about it. Since one of you said that you would like responses to your reviews, I will be posting them after this page break**

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**Rukia Heart-** Thank you so much for being the first comment and asking for more. You're definitely going to get it!

**Guest-** I'm glad I was able to surprise you a bit and nothing's set in stone, you know?

**Chrystalline Arch- **Don't worry, they don't sell their baby! At least I don't think so... You guessed right about who was at the door!

**yagami rin- **Rukia can be very mean indeed, but she has her nice moments. I try to keep her balanced between the person she wants to be and the person her past has made of her. Let's get a fan in here or something! I think we all love a shy Ichigo because he totally can't handle the opposite sex. The long chapters is more of a personal issue, I don't want to overkill a chapter, you know? But I'll try to make the consistently longer from now on!

**annia9semi- **They are in fact NOT dating and thank you!

**Cisusi- **I will continue this story until my mind and creativity give out. I haven't decided the traits the baby will have, so thank you for some starting points! I felt bad for Ichigo too; why must I be so mean to him? Especially since he's such a cute virgin. I just can't give the guy a win. I love a flirty Rukia, but I hope I'm keeping her overall personality intact and not making her too OOC.

Dude, can I just say your review for chapter three was like the best thing I've ever read, thank you so much! Keep the ramblings coming! I love when people dissect all of the parts of a chapter. I love seeing individual reactions to what I'm writing! I'm glad you like the Ichigo character and Nel is definitely more cautious because she knows more than the rest of the group, good eye!

**star133- **I'm sure it'll work out...somehow. Responsibility will be taken, I assure you that!

**ej- **There are going to be more flashbacks than you know what to do with!

**gothic pink- **I love you for loving it! I will try to keep my updating more constant.

**Hekka- **A guy like Ichigo always feels the need to carry the burden alone, you know? That would've made for an interesting story, but it's not the plot for this one sadly.

**27kirune12**- Someone definitely likes making their own little plots; I love it! I have a fan already? THANK YOU! And I wouldn't mind a letter, I'd probably even get it framed! You wanted a response and I aim to please! Let me get you a napkin, dear. Ichigo can't stay in the dark forever which means MORE DRAMA, _yay!_

**NieveDrop-** I'm glad you're interested, now I just have to keep you interested. I'm glad you thought it was creepy, that's what I wanted you to feel with that flashback. I just wanted to mix up the dynamics a bit and I loved Nel and Ichigo's banter in HM arc, so I kind of played off that. Rukia can't always be a good girl, can she? It might take a while, so I hope you're along for the ride! Renji is graduated from high school by now. Sadly Grimmjow has not appeared in the story..._yet. _I'm terribly terrible at writing OCs so I just took a character and manipulated her into my story. I love Mashiro to the moon and back, so of course I need to have her in this story! Just because Renji says something doesn't mean he always means it!

**blissbeat- **I'm glad! I wasn't sure how it came out.

**mafiae- **I hope I didn't make you wait too long for chapter 5 . A thousands sorries.

**Rotting Demon- **Who did I make bitchy? o.o and is it good kind of bitchy or scandalous bitchy? xD

**Gianna Sparrow- **I'm glad I brought you to the IR side! Let me know if this chapter has enough IchiRuki to go with that popcorn! Get it, cause that's what you had in your review for chapter 1? Your joke was better than mine!

**Guest- **Appearances can be misleading, always remember that!

**liizziieoh- **I'm glad it's different! You've waited long enough, so tell me if the wait was worth it!

**Secret Starr-** I'm glad you're attracted! You'll find out more about the reason behind Rukia's actions, Renji's feelings, and Rukia moved from where she and Renji live to another city to go to school.

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**A/N: I guess that's all of them! If I forgot you, I'm so sorry. I'll continue to respond at the end of each chapter from now on as to not bundle the responses. Remember to review! It really is a huge motivator :D**

**-Bonnie **


	6. Chapter 6- Our first argument

**A/N: ...Long time no see, eh? I'm so sorry for taking so long to update; I guess you can say I've hit a wall with this story. this chapter is actually supposed to be much longer, but since I'm still a little iffy about the second half so I'll just leave you with this little piece. I will try to update later this week! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach which is good because I cannot meet a deadline**

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"Did you just say boyfriend?" Hisagi nodded his head and Nel felt absolutely baffled by this unbelievable discovery. "Do you mean her boyfriend at the time?"

Hisagi was visibly shaken after the fright Nel had given him, but did his best to respond normally. "I thought you guys were Rukia's friends. She's had the same boyfriend for the past three years now."

All of the girls just stood there in silence. They really knew nothing about Rukia. They called themselves her friends, but they had yet to even get her phone number. Well Nel got it, but not from her.

"But that doesn't explain how you were acting." Nel argued, she needed to wrap her mind around the whole situation.

Hisagi rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I guess my time's up with her since she's already found another guy."

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Hiyori stepped forward, having to be restrained by Shinji, knowing that she was a ticking time bomb. She wasn't having any of this shady business. Ichigo was important to her even if she wasn't willing to admit it.

"Look- Rukia's unfaithful when it comes to her boyfriend, but that's all I'm gonna say." Nel was going to keep pestering him, but Kensei interfered.

"Nel, I need you to back off of my kohai." His voice was stern as he placed a solid hand on her shoulder. Hisagi let out a sigh of relief when her attention finally left him.

The teal-haired teen's eyes lost their anger and almost seemed to be pleading. "Kensei, this is Ichigo we're talking about."

"He's right, Nel." Love gave his input. "This is something between Ichigo and Rukia. You can't go and attack other people, even if it is for his sake." He pulled her into his arms to calm her down and turned to the gray-haired teen. "Kensei take the kids home. I'll make sure Mashiro gets back to you in a while."

"I'll just pick her up from Nel's house after." He turned to the group of first years who were awkwardly watching the scene in front of them in stunned silence. "Let's get going, everyone. You can give me your addresses on the way." Everyone gave their farewells and walked over to Kensei's car. He walked up to a strangely quiet Mashiro.

"I'll see you in a bit, alright?" He said as he kissed the top of her head. Mashiro didn't look up, but clung on to his shirt and nodded her head. "Hey." He tilted her chin to make her face him, his bronze eyes burning into her inner thoughts. "It's going to work out." He bent down and gave her a peck on the lips. She shut her eyes, cheeks heating, feeling too mesmerized by his brown orbs, and released her hold. Kensei gave her hair one final ruffle before walking to the first years. In a matter of moments, they were gone.

~.~.~.~.~

"I'm really sorry for causing problems for everyone so late in the day." Hisagi apologized to his fellow classmates as well as his senpai. He never expected things to go this way. Getting confronted by a fierce beauty was something frightening.

"Don't sweat it. You actually brought a few things to light, which I for one am grateful for." Kensei said as he gave his kohai a pat on the shoulder.

"It definitely made for an unforgettable night, Hisagi-san." Momo, always the positive, stated with a smile.

"I've had worst nights." Hitsugaya said and from the day spent with him, they all saw that as a compliment.

"But can we just keep this within the group? I don't think anyone would appreciate any more rumors." Kensei didn't want to bring more trouble for his friends; kami knew how much they've already been through.

"Don't worry about it, senpai. We like you guys so there won't be any rumor spreading from our side." Nanao spoke confidently as she adjusted her glasses. "We know you're all good people and we don't want to cause problems."

"I'll stay quiet as well." Momo said behind a thumb's up.

Hitsugaya responded with a "Ditto."

Hisagi just gave a thoughtful nod; he didn't want to bring any more problems for his senpai.

Kensei gave a thank you and focused on driving them all home, the awkward aura finally diminishing and making way for light conversation.

~.~.~.~.~

"Alright, ladies— and Shinji— into the van." Love ordered when Nel finally pulled away, eyes red. The girls could only nod their consent, each too lost in thought to even backtalk the ordering tone in the third year's voice. Ururu knew better than to speak up. Whatever was going on was none of her business and she knew she would just have to stand the awkward silence until they were home. Shinji went to comfort Hiyori. The two sat in the back; he wrapped an arm over his petite lover, which she gladly adjusted too.

"I think I'll just stay at Nel's house if that's okay?" Lisa broke the silence. "My house is a little out of the way and it's already late."

"No problem. I'm sure my dad and Yoruichi won't mind." Nel wiped her eyes as she turned to the back seats and forged a smile onto her face. "It can be like a sleepover."

Lisa gave a thoughtful nod and placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "I guess I'll just be dropping off Hiyori and Shinji." Love indicated as he turned another corner leading down the street of the home Hiyori shared with her aunt.

~.~.~.~.~

When he stopped in front of the simple house, both Hiyori and Shinji stepped out of the van. "I'll walk the rest of the way home after I get her inside." The lanky blond explained as he grabbed both of their bags.

"Be safe, man."

"See ya." Everyone said goodbye and were off to Nel's house. Hiyori remained mute as they walked the path up to the front door. She pulled out her key and quickly unlocked the bolt. The two stood in silence for a while before Shinji finally spoke. "I guess I'll see ya tomorrow." He said before turning away. A pull from his sleeve kept him in place. "What is it?" He turned and bent down to be at eye level with Hiyori. A rosy tint covered her freckled cheeks.

"I-it's late already, so it's not safe to just be walking alone. You're an easy target." He had to keep himself from smirking; they both knew that Shinji was well-known around the area and could hold his own- so this was something else.

"My aunt's out of town- catering to some snooty convention one city over, so she won't be home until tomorrow afternoon." She struggled to get to the point, but Shinji already knew where this was heading.

"Shorty, are you—a beautiful girl—asking me—a teenage boy who happens to be completely and utterly obsessed with you—into your empty house to spend the night with you?" He finally allowed himself to grin to the utter embarrassment of his ill-tempered adoration.

"You know what- forget it!" She exclaimed, cheeks blazing. She turned in determination to slam the door in his smug face, but all thoughts quickly vanished as Shinji wrapped an arm around her, turning her to where her lips pressed against his. It wasn't anything too big—he gently persuaded her lips to move in unison with his as his hands ever so gently caressed her subtle, but lovely curves. He always promised to take it slow with his inexperienced counterpart, but the sparks were definitely there.

"I'd love to." He said as he planted a final chaste kiss on her lips and walked a dazed Hiyori into the house.

"Y-you're sleeping on the floor!" Hiyori bellowed, still needing to keep the upper hand she always seemed to lose.

"Of course, my darling." Shinji smiled, knowing he would get his way by the end of the night because that's what she wanted too.

~.~.~.~.~

The ride back to the apartment building wasn't long at all. Ichigo seemed to be breaking even more laws than usual and even though Rukia didn't want to hold onto him, her grip tightened around his waist in fear that she may actually fall off at the speed that he was going. Her head was spinning like crazy and it wasn't just because of the cool breeze.

Ichigo used the ride to think everything over. He felt bad at how he acted towards Rukia, but he couldn't help it- he didn't like the way that Hisagi guy was touching her. He knew he was acting like a jealous boyfriend, and he needed to apologize to her because he had no right to take his frustration out on her.

He parked his bike in the parking structure and turned off the engine. Before he could even react, Rukia hopped off and threw the helmet at the carrot top.

"Oi, what the hell, midget? Why do you keep hitting me?" He winced as he placed both helmets on the bike.

She wouldn't turn around to face him but still spoke. "What gives you the right?"

He gave a 'hmm' as his response, his hands shaking faintly at his sides.

"What gives you the right to raise your voice at me and glare at my friend?" He saw that her own hands clenched into fists at her side.

"Look, Rukia-." Ichigo started. He knew he needed to make things right.

"I think it's better if we keep some distance for a while." Her voice was cracking. "I'll see you around, Kurosaki." She kept walking to the elevator and let the doors close behind her.

"Shit." Ichigo whispered. Why did he have to go and fuck everything up already? He threw his helmet against the wall and sank to the cold, hard floor.

Rukia dashed from the elevator to her apartment, into her room, and slammed the door. She bounced on to her bed, burying her face against her pillow, unable to contain the tears that finally fell down her cheeks. She knew she wasn't mad at Ichigo; he's freaking perfect. She's the one who's fucking everything up. Hisagi undoubtedly spilled the beans of their previous relationship, everyone probably already knew about Renji and hated her for keeping it quiet. And then Ichigo was going to find out and never want to talk to her again. That's why she decided to break it off now; before she had to face the multiple rejections that would soon come her way.

Her phone kept buzzing with Renji's face at the center which drove her over the edge. She couldn't talk to him, not now, not like this. She threw her phone with as much force as she could muster against the wall; of course it broke. She started hearing the same words that haunted her for most of her life, "You ruin everything around you." The words repeated over and over into her mind until they lulled her into her nightmare.

She was awoken by a knock at the door. She shot up and wiped the dried tears under her eyes. She grabbed a sweatshirt, checking the time in the meantime; it was only nine o'clock. She was wide-eyed as she opened the door and saw who was on the other side.

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**A/N I know there isn't much IchiRuki in this one. sorry! I needed to give the other couples a little more spotlight and it will make sense in one of the next few chapters; I swear. This is an Ichigo/Rukia story.**

**Sorry for any grammar or spelling mistakes .**

**Now time for the reviews. Once again, thank you to all of the lovely people who take the time to review my little story. **

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**EmpressMinea**- Even I thought it was a little too long. Thank you for taking the time to read it! As for the oocs, I know that it's weird that Ichigo can't cook, but I will give explanation to why it's so important in this story. When it comes to Rukia hating the rain, I didn't think it was so ooc since in the series she loses Kaien Shiba, her nakama, in the rain. I kind of used that as inspiration in this story.

**Cisusi- **Do you think we have some sort of IchiRuki connection lol Your review made my day! You get a little taste of Nel's overprotective fury; and even a little Hiyori o.o We'll see what they do with this new bit of information~

I had never heard that song before, but it totally fits with the story xD I love it! I wanted to emphasize that even though they haven't known each other for more than a few days, they're getting very close to one another, Thank you for noticing~

Thank you for saying that! I always get so scared that I'm bordering him on ooc but I just think that he's so sweet, I can't help but make him do such adorable things!

I think we're all like isshin when it comes to the fact that we want them to have babies lol

**alero1990**- And it'll only get juicier from here, my friend! I hope you stick around until the end!

**rawrryy69- **Thank you! You're a nice person for reviewing~

**27kirune12**- Let me get you some more popcorn, dear! I love drama as well and this fic will be full of it; trust me lol Never apologize for making up your own plots, I love it! Chocolate dipped strawberry hmm? That gives me some ideas! xD

**Gianna Sparrow**- You go ahead and ship whatever you want, darling! feel no shame for loving some IchiRuki and whatever otp you wish. there is no judgment here! You're a lovely fangirl! I'm glad you like my story~

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**A/N: That's all of them. Once again: thank you, my lovelies for reviewing, following, favoriting, or just checking out my story. It means a lot! *kisses to you all* (/^3^)/**

** -Bonnie :D**


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